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THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN 



SOUTH AMERICA 



ADVENTURES OF TWO YOUTHS IN A JOURNEY THROUGH 

ECUADOR, PERU, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, PARAGUAY, ARGENTINE REPUBLIC, AND CHILI 

WITH DESCRIPTIONS OP PATAGONIA AND TIERRA DEL FUEGO, AND 

VOYAGES UPON THE AMAZON AND LA PLATA RIVERS 



BY 

THOMAS W. KNOX 

AUTHOR OF 

'THE YOUNG NIMRODS IN NORTH AMERICA" "THE YOUNG NIMRODS AROUND THE WORLD" 

"THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST: ADVENTURES OP TWO YOUTHS IN 

A JOURNEY TO JAPAN AND CHINA— TO SIAM AND JAVA— TO CEYLON AND 

INDIA— TO EGYPT AND THE HOLY LAND— TO CENTRAL AFRICA" 

"THE VOYAGE OF THE VIVIAN" ETC., ETC. 



Illustrated 



OF CO 



NEW YORK 

HARPER & BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 

1886 




By THOMAS W. KNOX. 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE FAR EAST. Five Vol- 
umes. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $3 00 each. The 
volumes sold separately. Each volume complete in itself. 
I. Adventures op Two Youths in a Journey to Japan and China. 

II. Adventures op Two Youths in a Journey to Siam and Java. With 
Descriptions of Cochin-China, Cambodia, Sumatra, and the Malay Archipelago. 

III. Adventures op Two Youths in a Journey to Ceylon and India. With 
Descriptions of Borneo, the Philippine Islands, and Burmah. 

IV. Adventures op Two Youths in a Journey to Egypt and Palestine. 
V. Adventures op Two Youths in a Journey through Africa. 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. Adven- 
tures of Two Youths in a Journey through Ecuador, Peru, 
Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentine Republic, and Chili; with 
Descriptions of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, and Voyages 
upon the Amazon and La Plata Rivers. Copiously Illustrated. 
8vo, Cloth. 

THE VOYAGE OF THE "VIVIAN" TO THE NORTH POLE 
AND BEYOND. Adventures of Two Youths in the Open 
Polar Sea. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50. 



HUNTING ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA. Two 

Volumes. Copiously Illustrated. 8vo, Cloth, $2 50 each. The 
volumes sold separately. Each volume complete in itself. 



The Young Nimrods in North America. 
The Young Nimrods Around the World. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New Yokk. 

JOSf Any of the above volumes sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



Copyright, 1885, by Harper & Brothers. — All rights reserved. 



PREFACE. 



The plan of this volume is almost identically that of " The Boy Travel- 
lers in the Far East." Frank Bassett and Fred Bronson, with their accom- 
plished mentor, Doctor Bronson, have traversed the length and breadth of 
the South American Continent from the Isthmus of Panama to the Strait 
of Magellan. Twice have they crossed the Andes ; they have descended 
the Madeira and the Amazon rivers; navigated the La Plata and the 
Paraguay ; visited the principal cities of the continent, and studied the 
manners and customs of the many people whom they encountered on their 
way. For the information of their friends and schoolmates at home they 
recorded the results of their travels and observations, and it is the author's 
pleasure to tell the story of their journey. 

The characters of the story are fictitious, but the descriptions of every- 
thing coming under the observation of the Boy Travellers, or learned in 
their wanderings, are intended to be as nearly exact as possible. The 
author has not relied alone upon his personal knowledge of South 
America, but has drawn from the narratives of others who preceded or 
have followed him. It has been his earnest endeavor to present a realistic 
picture of South America ; its lofty mountains, magnificent rivers, luxuriant 
forests, and fertile pampas, together with the many varieties of people that 
form its populations ; their governments as we find them to-day, and an 
epitome of their history from ancient times. He earnestly hopes for the 
same kindly reception by press and public that was accorded to his volumes 
of a similar nature concerning Asia and Africa. 

Many works of travel have been examined in the preparation of this 
book. Some of these are mentioned in the narrative, but it has not been 
practicable to refer to all. The author acknowledges his great indebtedness 
to that prince of travellers, Alexander Von Humboldt, whose graphic 
description was the first adequate picture of the South American conti- 
nent ever presented to the world. He is specially indebted to the 
admirable work of the Hon. E.George Squier, upon "Peru and the Land 
of the Incas," not alone for information about the country and people, but 



6 PREFACE. 

for several illustrations which have been kindly loaned for this volume. 
He is also under obligations to the following books: "The Andes and 
the Amazon," by Professor James Orton ; "Brazil and the Brazilians," 
by J. C. Fletcher and D. P. Kidder ; " Life in Brazil," by Thomas 
Ewbank; "Fifteen Thousand Miles on the Amazon," by Brown and 
Lidstone ; " Brazil, Amazons, and Coast," by H. H. Smith ; " Wanderings 
in Patagonia," by J. Beerbohm ; " Across Patagonia," by Lady Florence 
Dixie ; and, " The War between Peru and Chili," by Clements ~R. Mark- 
ham. The reports of the surveys and explorations of the various proposed 
routes for an interoceanic canal have supplied important data, and the 
officers of the company engaged in cutting the Panama Canal have cheer- 
fully answered the author's interrogatories concerning that enterprise. 

The publishers have kindly allowed the use of illustrations from their 
previous publications on South America, in addition to those specially pre- 
pared for this work, or obtained from Mr. Squier's "Peru." As a conse- 
quence of their courtesy the author has been able to present a "copiously 
illustrated " book, which is always a delight to the youthful eye. 

T. W. K 

New York, July, 1885. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. p AGE 
From New York to the Isthmus of Panama. — Incidents of the Voyage. — Old 
Times and the Present. — Aspinwall. — A Tropical City. — The Teredo. — En- 
trance of the Panama Canal , 13 

CHAPTER II. 
First Day on the Isthmus. — The Panama Canal. — History of the Canal Enter- 
prise. — Plans of Balboa and Others. — The Various Routes Proposed. — 
Strain's Survey of Darien. — Visiting the Works at Panama 27 

CHAPTER HI. 
Over the Isthmus. — A Profitable Railway. — Isthmus Fever. — Tropical Trees, 
Flowers, and Animals. — Sights in Panama. — The Cathedral. — A Stroll on 
the Beach. — The Paradise of Conchologists 43 

CHAPTER IV. 
" The Place of Fish." — An Excursion to Old Panama. — Visiting a Hermit. — 
Drinking Chichi. — Ruins of the City. — Morgan the Buccaneer. — His History 
and Exploits. — How he Captured Panama 65 

CHAPTER V. 
From Panama to Guayaquil. — Vasco Nunez de Balboa. — His Adventures and 
Death. — Scenes in Guayaquil. — First Experience with South American 
Earthquakes 85 

CHAPTER VI. 
The Paradise of Earthquakes. — From Guayaquil to Quito. — A Ride over the 
Mountains. — All Climates United in One. — The Plains of Ecuador. — Chimbo- 
razo and cotopaxi 105 

CHAPTER VII. 
Description of Quito. — Visit to the Volcano of Pichincha. — The Deepest Crater 
in the World. — Route over the Andes to the Amazon. — Return to the Coast, 122 

CHAPTER VIII. 
From Guayaquil to Callao. — Landing at Paita. — The Site of Old Callao. — Ar- 
rival at Lima. — Sights of the Peruvian Capital. — General Description of 
the City and its Inhabitants 141 

CHAPTER IX. 
Equestrians and their Costumes. — Ladies of Lima. — Excursions among Ruins. — 
Pachacamac, a Holy City. — The Ancient Peruvians. — Origin of the Inca 
Government 160 



yiii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER X. PAGE 

Railways over the Andes. — Erom Lima to Mollendo, Arequipa, and Lake Titi- 
caca. — The Chincha Islands and the Soda Deserts. — Up the Andes bt Steam. 
— In a Railway Carriage Fourteen Thousand Eeet Above the Sea 177 

CHAPTER XL 
Puno and Lake Titicaca. — Coca and its Properties. — The Llama and his Kindred. 

— Excursion to the Sacred Island oe the Incas 193 

CHAPTER XII. 
Coati Island and the Ruins of Tiahuanaco. — Return to Puno. — Cuzco, and the 

Temples, Palaces, and Fortresses of the Incas. — Plans for Departure 212 

» 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Leaving Puno. — Crossing Lake Titicaca. — Resources of Bolivia. — Silver Mining. 

— Primitive Lodgings. — Beginning the Journey to the Eastward 229 

CHAPTER XIV. 

Over the Eastern Andes into the Amazon Valley. — An Exciting Journey. — Ad- 
ventures by the Way. — Troubles of Travelling with a Tiger 243 

CHAPTER XV. 
Down the River. — Arrival on the Beni. — Birds of the Amazon Valley. — Build- 
ing a Hut. — Hunting with Poisoned Arrows. — Turtles, and Tdrtle-hunting. . 258 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Down the Beni. — Products of the Valley. — Plans for Developing Commerce. — 
Obstructions to Navigation. — Voyage on the Mamore 275 



r 



CHAPTER XVII. 
Hunting the Tapir. — Among the Caripuna Indians. — Arrival at the Falls of the 

Madeira. — Making India-rubber 290 



CHAPTER XVIII. 
Slow Transit. — Passing Around the Falls. — Ancient Inscriptions. — The Madeira 

to the Amazon. — The January River. — The Amazon Forest 306 

CHAPTER XIX. 
From the Madeira to the Rio Negro. — Other Tributaries of the Amazon. — Notes 

on the Great River. — Manaos. — Down the Amazon to Para 322 

CHAPTER XX. 
Para. — Its Business and Characteristics. — The Island of Marajo. — Down the 

Coast. — Pernambuco. — The Sugar Industry 337 

CHAPTER XXI. 
Bahia and its Industries. — Rio Janeiro. — The Bay and the City. — Sights of the 

Capital. — Emperor Dom Pedro II 354 

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Sights of Rio. — Public Buildings, Aqueduct, Churches, Miracles, and Funer- 
als. — Visit to Tijuca and Petropolis. — The Serra 373 

CHAPTER XXIII. 
Railways in Brazil. — Coffee Plantations. — Mandioca and its Culture. — Terrible 
Famines. — Slavery and Emancipation 390 



CONTENTS. ix 

CHAPTER XXIV. page 

Return to the Capital. — Inteudo Sports. — Museum at Rio. — Montevideo and 
Buenos Atres. — The Argentine Republic. — Ascending the River Plate 404 

CHAPTER XXV. 
Visiting a Cattle Estate. — The Lasso and Bolas. — Ascending the Paraguay and 
Parana Rivers. — Rosario and Asuncion. — Paraguayan War. — Industries op 
the Country. — Mate" 420 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
Return to Buenos Ayres. — Dividing the Party. — Two Routes to Valparaiso. — 
Erank's Journey over the Pampas. — Mendoza. — At the Eoot op the Andes.. . 437 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Incidents op a Ride over the Andes. — Contract with the Arriero. — Passes Be- 
tween Chili and the Argentine Republic. — Night Scenes. — Dangers of the 
Road. — A Perilous Position. — Uspallata. — At the Crest of the Andes 453 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Down the Western Slope of the Andes. — A Long Imprisonment in the Snow. — 

"The Soldier's Leap." — Santa Rosa. — Santiago. — Arrival at Valparaiso 469 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
Strait of Magellan. — Falkland Islands. — A Penguin City. — Sandy Point. — Hunt- 
ing the Ostrich and Guanaco. — Patagonian Giants 485 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Mutiny at Sandy Point. — Tierra Del Euego. — Missionary Enterprises There. — 
Captain Gardiner. — Cruise of the "Wateree." — Side-wheel Ducks. — Up the 
Pacific Coast. — The Meeting at Valparaiso. — The End 498 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



At the Foot of the Andes. ... Frontispiece. 



PAGE 

On the Sea Again 13 

The Fog Clearing away 14 

Sandy Hook Light-ship 15 

A Stranded Ship 17 

Weighing Baggage 18 

The Ship worm and his Work 19 

The Donkey's Descent 21 

The Wharf at Aspinwall 22 

Departure for Panama. 23 

Native Market, Aspinwall 25 

Preparing for a Boat Excursion 26 

Balboa taking Possession of the Pacific. ... 28 

The Isthmus of Darien 29 

Rescue of the Survivors of Strain's Expedi- 
tion 30 

Strain's Arrival at the Coast 31 

View on the Chagres River 32 

Beach near Aspinwall 34 

In the Rainy Season, 35 

A Hand-car Journey on the Panama Railway 36 

Surveying under Difficulties 37 

Native Village on the Isthmus 38 

Native Idea of the Locomotive 39 

The Espiritu Santo Flower 40 

Gatun Station 41 

A Tropical Harbor 42 

Map of the Panama Railway 43 

Crossing the Isthmus in 1849 45 

A Bongo 46 

Bridge Across the Chagres River at Barbacoas 47 

Meeting a Train 48 

The Humming-bird at Work 49 

The Singing Hummer. . 49 

The Iguana 49 

A Centipede , 50 

A Scorpion 50 

Exhibiting a Tarantula 51 

Hills near the Railway 52 

Map Showing how Ocean Routes are Short- 
ened by the Panama Canal 53 

Basaltic Cliff 55 

Panama hi the Distance 56 



Station at Panama 57 

Cathedral at Panama 58 

Ramparts, with Old Cannon 59 

Water-carrier and Native Woman 60 

Gate of the Monks 61 

Ruins of Church of San Domingo. .... . . 62 

A Remarkable Archway 63 

Ruined Church 64 

View from the Ramparts at Panama 65 

On the Northeastern Beach 66 

Watch-tower of San Jerome 68 

A Hermit at Home 70 

Making Chichi 71 

Bridge at Old Panama 72 

Slaughter of Priests by Buccaneers 74 

Pirates' Rendezvous 75 

Buccaneers Embarking on an Expedition. . 76 

Morgan's Reception at Chagres 78 

Morgan's Men Dining on Leather . . . . 79 

Death of the Indian Chief 80 

Moving Through the Forest 81 

Capture of Old Panama by Morgan. (Fac- 
simile of an old print) 83 

The Lucky Arrow 84 

Bay of Panama, from the Southeastern Ram- 
part 85 

Coast Scene Below Panama. ............. 86 

Cave Near Limon River 87 

Vasco Nunez De Balboa 89 

Balboa Carried on Shipboard 90 

Balboa Makes his Appearance 91 

Village on a River of Darien 93 

Balboa and the Indian Princess 94 

Quarrel for the Gold , 95 

Marching Through the Forest 97 

Discovery of the Pacific 98 

Cutting Timber for the Ships 99 

Death of Balboa 100 

Cathedral of Guayaquil 102 

Street Scene and Ruins 103 

In the Land of the Earthquake 104 

The Central Part of Ecuador 106, 



Xll 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Las Bodegas, Guayas River 107 

A House in the Tropics 108 

Cacao 109 

Arriero and Traveller 110 

In Holiday Costume HI 

A Pack-train Under Way 112 

A Mountain Cascade 115 

Baron von Humboldt in 1802 116 

Native Huts Near Guaranda 117 

Among the Lava Beds 118 

View of Cotopaxi 1 19 

View of Quito and the Volcano of Pichincha 120 
Inca Gateway and Fortress in the Andes. . . 121 

Crossing the Mountains 122 

A Street in Quito 123 

Palacio de Gobierno (Government House), 

Quito. 124 

Water-carriers 125 

Priests and Monks 126 

Laundresses of Quito .... 128 

Balcony View of the Andes 130 

The Crater of Pichincha 131 

El Altar, Volcano, Ecuador 133 

View of Ibarra, Ecuador 135 

• Napo Indian Porter 137 

Descending the Napo 138 

Mountain Pass in the Andes 139 

Rapids in a Mountain Stream of South 

America 140 

Water-carrier and Donkeys 141 

Desert Scene 142 

A Wolf Emigrating 143 

Ships in a Fog 145 

A Garden on the Rimac 147 

A Claimant for the Sidewalk 148 

View of Lima from the Steps of the Ca- 
thedral 149 

Lima and the Surrounding Country 150 

Wearing the " Saya y Manto" 151 

A Lady of Lima 152 

Interior Court, Lima 154 

Bridge over the Rimac, Lima 155 

One Use for Chickens 156 

Ladies of Lima at Home 157 

Peruvian Infantry and Cavalry 158 

A Passage of Politeness 159 

A Peruvian Cavalier 160 

Horse-breakers at Work 161 

Native Women of Lima 163 

Ruins of Pachacamac 164 

Head of Peruvian Statue 165 

Terraced Space on a Hill-top 165 

Peruvian Mummies 166 

Sepulchral Tower 167 

Golden Vase Found in a Tomb 167 



Silver Vase-. 168 

Peruvian Idol 168 

Peruvian Copper Knives 1 69 

Ruins on Titicaca Island 169 

Part of Temple of the Sun, Cuzco 170 

Outer Wall of Fortress of Cuzco 171 

Stones in the Wall of Cuzco 171 

Part of Wall of Fortress 172 

Peruvian Vases 173 

Ornaments of Peruvian Walls 174 

Ancient Palace at Huanco. .-. 175 

Doorway Cut Through a Single Scone 175 

Central Figure over Doorway 176 

Deep Cutting on a Railway 177 

Among the Foot-hills 178 

Guano Islands 181 

Sea-birds at Home 182 

Scene on a Coolie Ship 183 

On the Edge of the Desert 185 

Indians of Arequipa 186 

Arequipa, and the Volcano of Misti 187 

The Old Way of Travel 189 

View of Lake Titicaca 190 

The Nevada de Sorata, Crown of the Andes. 191 

View on Lake Titicaca 193 

Peruvian Heads, Ancient and Modern 194 

Cathedral of Puno 195 

Quichua Woman (from a photograph) 196 

Coca Plant 197 

Llama 199 

Ancient Gateway near Puno 200 

The Vicuna 201 

Indians and Llama Among the Ruins 202 

Cattle Feeding on Rushes, Lake Titicaca. . . 203 
Tortora Bridge Over the Outlet of Lake Ti- 
ticaca 204 

Head-dress of Aymara Women 205 

Aymara Men, Puno 205 

Aymara Woman, Puno 206 

A Ride on a Balsa, Lake Titicaca 207 

Closed Doorway, Titicaca Island 207 

Palace of the Inca 208 

Bath of the Inca 209 

Room in the Inca's Palace 210 

The Sacred Rock of Manco Capac 210 

Ground-plan of " Palace of the Inca," Titi- 
caca Island 211 

Bridge and Custom-house at the Frontier.. . 212 

Ruins on Coati Island 213 

Indians Celebrating the Chuno, or Potato 

Festival 214 

Head-dress of Indian Female Dancers 215 

Plan of Part of Ruins of Tiahuanaco 216 

The American Stonehenge 216 

Front View of Monolithic Doorway 217 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Xlll 



PAGE 

Symbolical Slab 218 

Terrace Walls and Scattered Blocks of Stone 219 

Remains of Palace at Cuzco 220 

Inca Doorway, Cuzco 221 

Old Bridge at Cuzco 221 

Court of Convent, with Ancient Fountain.. . 222 
Church and Convent of Santo Domingo, 

Cuzco 223 

Terra-cotta Figures, Cuzco 224 

Ancient Stone Sculpture, Cuzco 224 

Section of Walls of the Fortress 225 

Salient Angle of Fortress 225 

Road Leading to Fortified Hill 226 

Ancient Dwelling-house 227 

Specimen of Cyclopean Wall 227 

Ancient Sun Circle, Sillustani, Peru 228 

Tanatero (ore-carrier) 229 

Section of a Silver Mine 230 

A Primitive Mill 231 

Arastra, with Mule-power 232 

Breaking Ore ; . 233 

Indians Extracting Silver from Ore 234 

Galleries in a Silver Mine 235 

Caving in 236 

Wild Indian of Bolivia 237 

Limited Accommodations 239 

Aymara Skull 240 

Turf House near Lake Titicaca 241 

Chulpas, or Burial-towers 241 

Ancient Sepulchre 242 

Manuel 243 

Loading the Mules 244 

The Start 245 

A Mountain Trail 247 

Hacienda among the Mountains 248 

Travelling by Silla 250 

Dead Whale on Shore 251 

Shot at a Condor 252 

Puma, Cougar, or American Lion 252 

Capybara 253 

Jaguar 254 

Game for the Jaguar 255 

Steamer Leaving Para 256 

Head of Navigation 257 

A ,Chance Acquaintance 258 

A Landing-place 260 

Humming-birds of the Andes 261 

Humming-bird's Nest 262 

Pair of Toucans and their Nest 263 

Tanagers and Nest 264 

Toucan 265 

Parrots 265 

An Amazonian Dwelling 266 

Near the Village 267 

Agave, or Sisal Hemp 269 



PAGE 

Hunting with the Blow-gun 271 

A Giant of the Forest 272 

Turtle-shooting in South America 273 

Turtle-turning 274 

South American River Scene 276 

South American Monkey with Prehensile Tail 277 

Howling Monkey 278 

A Monkey Robbing Birds'-nests 279 

Hunting the Monkey 280 

Amazonian Mosquitoes at Home 282 

An Indian of Northern Bolivia 283 

Breakfast Scene on the River Bank 285 

Plaza and Church at Exaltacion 287 

Mojos Indians Celebrating Mass 288 

The Cherimbita 2S9 

A Mojos Indian 289 

The Agouti 290 

Hunting the Tapir 292 

Water-snakes at Home 294 

Rattlesnake Disturbed by a Wildcat 295 

Visiting the Caripunas 296 

A Caripuna Indian 298 

A Walk in the Forest 299 

Branch of the India-rubber Tree 300 

India-rubber Making on the Madeira 301 

Leaves, Fruit, and Flowers of the Cow-tree. . 303 

Milking the Cow-tree 304 

Dragging a Boat Around Teotonio 307 

Inscriptions on the Rocks at Ribeirao 308 

Cuttings on Stones near the Rapids 308 

Buried in the Tropical Forest 310 

Banana in Blossom 311 

Rubber Tree and Parasites 312 

Station of a Rubber Collector 313 

A River Town 315 

Pira-rucu, a Fish of the Amazon 317 

Deposits in the Amazon Valley 318 

Wasp-nest, Showing Interior Construction. . 319 
Leaves, Nut, and Flowers of Sapucaya, an 

Amazon Tree 320 

Ferns, Trees, and Creepers 321 

Natives on the Middle Amazon 323 

In an Igaripe 325 

Fruit Pedlers 326 

Arrival at Manaos 327 

Giant Fig-tree 328 

Natives of the Banks of the Ucayali 329 

A Brazilian Landing-place 331 

The Ant-eater Asleep 334 

The Mouths of the Amazon 335 

Para, from the River 336 

Environs of Para 337 

A Tropical Plant 338 

A Dealer in Monkeys 339 

Street in Para with Silk-cotton Trees 340 



XIV 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Nazareth Square, Para 341 

A Para Belle 342 

The Market at Para 343 

Theatre of Our Lady of the Peace 344 

The Government Palace at Para 345 

Sourre and Salvaterra 347 

A Snake Merchant 348 

Going Ashore in a Jaganda 349 

Street Scene in Pernambuco 350 

Pernambuco 351 

Pack Horses Laden with Sugar 352 

Ox-cart 353 

View of Bahia 354 

Diamond-washing in Brazil 355 

" Star of the South " 356 

Porters Asleep 35*7 

Brazilian Humming-birds 358 

Market Scene, Bahia 359 

Porters and Cask 359 

Sedan Chair. 360 

Frame of Sedan 360 

Entrance to the Harbor of Rio 361 

View of Rio Janeiro from the Sea 362 

Front View of the City '. 364 

Coffee-carriers 365 

Coal-carriers 366 

Modern Innovations 366 

Pedlers of Dry-goods 367 

Poultry Dealer 367 

Fruit Vender 368 

View in the Bay of Rio de Janeiro 369 

An Imperial Palace 370 

Statue of Pedro 1 371 

Scene in a Brazilian Suburb 372 

Votive Offerings in a Church at Rio 374 

View in the Bay 374 

Alms-box 375 

Religious Festival in Front of a Church. . . . 376 

Monk in a Procession 377 

The Aqueduct 378 

A Brazilian Forest, with Characteristic Mam- 
malia 379 

Coffin Closed 380 

Coffin Opened 380 

Cemetry of the Paula Church 381 

View of Rio from Boa Vista 382 

Hotel at Tijuca, near Rio 383 

Cascade at Tijuca 385 

The Armadillo 3S6 

Road over the Serra, near Petropolis 387 

The Palace at Petropolis 388 

Religious Procession in Brazil 389 

Negro Hut near the Railway \ 391 

Entrance to a Coffee Plantation 392 

Victims of the Famine 394 



PAGE 

Dying for Lack of Food 395 

A Tropical Railway Station . 396 

Mandioca Plant 397 

Plantation Negro 398 

Punishment 399 

In the Fields 400 

Slaves with Collars 400 

Slave with Mask 401 

Mask 401 

Shackles 401 

Household Servant 402 

Slaves Gathering Sugar-cane 403 

At Home with the Sugar-cane 404 

Intrudo Sports Thirty Years Ago 406 

Intrudo Balls and Bottles 407 

Wooden Cannon 407 

The Condor and the Bull 408 

Embalmed Head 408 

Ancient Musical Instruments 409 

Ancient Comb 409 

Brazilian Basin 409 

Montevideo from the Sea 410 

View in the Capital of Uruguay 411 

Ox-cart of Buenos Ayres 412 

Soldiers of the Argentine Republic 413 - 

A Guacho 414 

A Guacho on Horseback 415 

Post-station on the Pampas 417 

A Steamer on the River Plate 418 

A Refuge from Mosquitoes 419 

Branding Cattle on an Estancia 421 

Use of the Lasso and Bolas 422 

Costumes of Paraguay 424 

Indians of the " Gran Chaco" 425 

Battle with Chaco Indians 427 

Indians of the Lenqua, River Plate 428 

Indians Shooting Fishes 429 

A River Port during the War 430 

Headquarters of General Lopez 431 

Paraguayan Mother and Daughters 432 

A Landed Proprietor 433 

Cups and Tubes for Mate 434 

Paraguayan Cart 435 

Carlo Antonio Lopez, former President of 

Paraguay 436 

Olive Branch from the Banks of the Parana 437 
Map of Chili, Argentine Confederation, and 

Uruguay. 439 

In the Strait of Magellan 440 

Arrival of Travellers at a Guacho Village. . 442 

A Dance at Sau Luis de la Punta 444 

The Police-office at Mendoza 446 

The Birlocha 448 

The Pampa Coach 449 

Ox-carts near Mendoza . 450 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



XV 



Coming to Town 451 

Exercising the Mules 452 

A Start under Disadvantages 454 

Pass of Uspallata 455 

Near the Base of the Andes 457 

A Dangerous Road in the Mountains 459 

Peons at Rest 460 

A Mountain Canon 462 

Snow-slide on the Trail 463 

Hanging Bridge in the Andes 465 

Deep Chasm in the Mountains 466 

A Victim of the Storm 467 

A Chilian Ox-cart 468 

The Condor 469 

Travelling in the Snow 4*70 

A Natural Highway 471 

Cutting Steps Along the Mountain 472 

Bridge of the Apurimac 474 

Looking Across the Bridge 475 

By the Roadside 476 

Court-yard of the Posada 477 

A Pedler of Forage 478 

The Alameda 480 

A Street Scene 481 

Customs Guard-house, Valparaiso 483 

Spanish-American Costumes 484 

Seal of the Falkland Islands 486 

Map of South America, with Route of the Boy Travellers Front Cover. 

Physical Map of South America Back Cover. 



Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego 487 

The Penguin 488 

The Home of the Sea-birds 489 

The Cormorant 489 

A Steamer Entering the Strait of Magellan . 490 

Chilian Settlement at Sandy Point 491 

Patagonian Dress 492 

A Patagonian Belle 493 

The Guanaco 494 

Seeking Safety 495 

The Ostrich and his Hunters 496 

Skeleton of the Ostrich 497 

Captain Smiley 498 

Mountains and Glaciers in Magellan's Strait 499 

Jemmy Button's Sound 500 

Fuegians Visiting a War Steamer 501 

The " Allen Gardiner " at Banner Cove .... 502 

Starvation Beach 503 

A Fuegian and his Food 504 

A Fuegian Feast 505 

Ruins at Port Famine 506 

Borgia Bay 507 

Inscriptions at Borgia Bay 507 

" H " Cliff, Wateree Bay 508 

The Yankee Wood-dealer 509 

Near the Coast of Patagonia 509 



THE BOY TRAYELLEKS 



IN 



SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER I. 



FROM NEW YORK TO THE ISTHMUS OF PANAMA.— INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE.— 
OLD TIMES AND THE PRESENT.— ASPIN WALL.— A TROPICAL CITY.— THE TE- 
REDO.— ENTRANCE OF THE PANAMA CANAL. 



: TS everything ready?" 



"Yes," was the reply. "The trunks are packed and strapped, and 
the carriage will be at the door at ten o'clock." 




ON THE SEA AGAIN. 



"That is quite early enough. The steamer leaves the dock at noon, 
and we can easily be settled on board by eleven o'clock." 

" Quite easily," was the response. " And here comes Frank, who has 
been to see the porter about the heavy baggage." 



14 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"It's all arranged," said the latter; "the baggage-wagon will take our 
trunks, chairs, and other heavy things, and have them ready at the pier, so 
that we shall have only our satchels and rugs for the carriage." 

"An excellent plan," was the reply; "and the next business before 
us is to go to breakfast." 

The conversation recorded above took place not many months ago in 
the corridor of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, in New York. The parties to 
the dialogue were Dr. Bronson, his nephew, Fred Bronson, and Frank 
Bassett, a cousin of Fred. Some of our readers have met this trio of 
travellers, or, at all events, have read of their wanderings in Asia and 
Africa. When we last saw them they were on their homeward journey 
from Zanzibar, after making the ascent of the Nile, visiting the equatorial 




THE FOG CLEARING AWAY. 

lakes of the Dark Continent, and reaching the Indian Ocean at Bagamoya. 
Those who have perused the narrative of the travels of Frank and 
Fred with the amiable doctor will need no further introduction.* 

The Doctor and his young friends had planned a journey to South 
America, and at the time our present story begins they were just starting 
on their new adventure. With their experience in former travels they 
realized the wisdom of going to the steamer in ample season to take 

* " The Boy Travellers in the Far East." Adventures of Two Youths in Japan, China, Siam, 
Java, Burmah, Sumatra, the Philippine Islands, Borneo, the Malay Archipelago, and Central 
Africa. Five Volumes. Published by Harper & Brothers, New York. 



FROM NEW YORK TO THE ISTHMUS. 



15 



everything leisurely, and be comfortably settled before the hour of de- 
parture. 

Promptly at the advertised time the steamer left the dock, followed by 
the cheers of the crowd that had come to witness her departure or say fare- 
well to friends on board. As she moved slowly into the river there were 
dozens of handkerchiefs fluttering over her rail, and other dozens waving 
answer from the shore. Steadily the distance between ship and pier in- 
creased, and it soon became impossible to distinguish friends from one to 
the other, even with the aid of glasses. With her engines at half speed 
the great vessel moved majestically down the channel, passed the Narrows, 
and entered the lower baj'. A fog blowing in from seaward compelled 
the pilot to order the anchor dropped, and the chain rattled through the 
hawse-hole with a vehemence that seemed to threaten the safety of the 
steamer's bows. 

For two hours the fog continued ; then it lifted, and the way to the 
ocean was revealed. Up came the anchor, round went the ponderous 
screw, the outer bar was passed, the pilot, his pocket filled with letters, 
the last messages to friends on shore, descended to his boat and was safely 
deposited on the light-ship at Sandy Hook, and then the steamer took her 
course for more southern waters. 




SANDY HOOK LIGHT-SHIP. 



The flag of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company fluttered at the main- 
truck, and it needed little observation to show that 'the craft on which our 



16 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

friends had embarked belonged to that famous organization. When the 
project for visiting South America was first discussed, the Doctor told his 
} r oung friends that their best plan would be to proceed from New York 
to Aspinwall by one of the Pacific Mail Steamers. " We will then," said 
he "have the whole of the continent before us; we can go down the 
western coast to any point we choose to visit, or we can travel along the 
northern and eastern coast, and make our way westward by one of the 
overland routes, or through the Strait of Magellan. We can ascend the 
Amazon, or descend it, or we may cross the Andes in the vicinity of 
Santiago. We will leave our plans incomplete till we reach Panama, and 
there be guided by circumstances." 

As our friends were by no means novices in ocean travel they speedily 
dropped into the ways of the ship and made acquaintance with the pas- 
sengers and officers. The passengers were a polyglot collection, numbering 
some fifty or more, and including about a dozen nationalities. There were 
Americans, on their way to California or Central America; Englishmen, 
with similar destinations, or bound for Callao and Valparaiso; Frenchmen, 
who were interested in the work on the Panama Canal ; Peruvians, Chili- 
ans, Nicaraguans, and other natives of Central and South America ; 
Germans, commercially engaged in the republics beyond the Equator; 
besides, as Fred expressed it in his note-book, " several districts to hear 
from." But in spite of their difference of nationality they were entirely 
harmonious, and the voyage proved a most agreeable one. 

" Things are not now what they were before the overland railways 
were built," said one of the officers in conversation with Frank; " in those 
days we carried three or four hundred passengers in the first cabin, and 
twice or three times as many in the steerage. Now, the travel between 
the east and west goes by railway, and comparatively few persons make 
the sea trip between New York and San Francisco. But it's as pleasant 
as it ever was, and if people would only think they could spare the addi- 
tional time there would be more of them going by steamer than by rail. 
There's no more delightful voyage in the world than .from Panama to 
San Francisco. You are in sight of the coast nearly all the way ; the ocean 
is so calm that you might suppose yourself on an inland lake, except on 
rare occasions; and before you begin to be weary of the trip you are 
entering the Golden Gate, and making fast to the dock, at your 
journey's end." 

Dr. Bronson confirmed the assertion of this ancient mariner, as he had 
made the voyage to California in the manner described; "and we used 
to think," said he, "that we were getting along finely when we went from 



INCIDENTS OF THE VOYAGE. 



17 



New York to San Francisco in twenty-three days. Now we can go in a 
week by the railway, and it is contrary to the American temperament to 
make the longer journey." 

Frank and Fred were agreeably disappointed in the expectation of a 
storm before reaching the Caribbean Sea. In looking up the accounts of 
previous travellers they had found an old couplet : 

" If the Bermudas let you pass, 
You must beware of Hatteras." 

The}' questioned the captain on the subject, and found that the poet- 
ical assertion was not without basis, as many a ship sailing on her course 
had encountered a gale in the neighborhood either of Cape Hatteras or 
the Bermuda Islands. " But in marine verses, as in every other sort," 
the captain continued, "you must allow for the poet's license, which often 
requires a very large margin to include it." 

Hatteras and " the vexed Bermoothes " permitted them to pass with- 
out a semblance of a gale. They sighted one of the islands of the Bahama 
group, and there was great excitement on board the steamer when it was 
discovered that a ship was stranded on the shore. Fred and Frank rushed 




A STKANDED SKIP. 



below to tell the Doctor, and that worthy ran on deck as soon as he could 
don his hat and coat. The captain scanned with his glass the unfortunate 



18 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



craft, and relieved the general anxiety with the information that she 
had sent a line to the land, and there was no danger to the lives of her 
people, whatever might be the risk to the property. " If anybody was in 
peril," said he, "I would do all I could to save him ; but when it comes to 
a mere question of ship and cargo, none of us care to take any risk, or 
even go out of our course for a minute. It is a serious matter to stop a 
great steamer like this, and, besides, it is a peril to her passengers and 
crew. We will save life always, and the property of our own company, 
but when it comes to the ships of other people, who would, quite likely, 




WEIGHING BAGGAGK. 



refuse to pay anything for the service without a lawsuit, we mind our own 
business and keep on our way." 

The correctness of his reasoning was apparent to all the listeners, and 
before the day was over the stranded ship was well-nigh forgotten. 

They passed the eastern end of Cuba, and then steered between that 
island and Jamaica. The sight of the palm-trees that fringed parts of the 
shores reminded the youths of their journe'yings in Ceylon and the Malay 
Archipelago, and increased their eagerness to be once more in tropical 
lands. In the Caribbean Sea they renewed their acquaintance with the 



THE TEREDO. 



19 



flying-fishes, that darted from wave to wave, and were sometimes so 
numerous that hundreds of them could be seen at once. On the seventh 
day of the voyage the heavy baggage was brought from below and piled 
on deck, each piece being carefully weighed, and checked off on the pur- 
ser's books. The Doctor explained to the youths that each passenger was 
entitled to free transportation of one hundred pounds of baggage across 
the Isthmus, but all above that amount was subject to an extra charge. 

At daybreak the next morning the steamer entered the harbor of 
Aspinwall and made fast to her dock. The city was named in honor of . 
William H. Aspinwall, of New York, but the French persist in calling it 
Colon, which was its appellation before the Panama Railway was thought 
of. It was a place of little consequence until the discovery of gold in 
California, in 1848, called attention to the necessity for a route of speedy 
travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of our continent. 

Prank and Fred w r ere up early on the morning of their arrival at 
Aspinwall, and as. soon as the gang-plank was out they hurried on 
shore, accompanied by the Doctor. Tropical verdure greeted their eyes 
as they looked inland, and the open sheds and slightly built houses told 
very plainly that they had reached a region where frosts were unknown. 

The wharf where the steamer lay was more than a thousand feet in 
length, and, on inquiry, they learned that it was built on a coral reef, 
which formed an excellent foundation. " You observe," said Dr.Bronson, 
" that the piles resting in the water are covered with copper, to resist the 
teredo, a tropical worm which is very destructive to wood. Perhaps you 
would like to know something about him. 

" Well," the Doc- _ „._ 

tor continued, " the 
teredo is better known 
as the ship-worm, a 
name he has obtained 
from his habits of 
attacking the timber 
of ships in tropical 
countries, and also in 
the warmer parts of 
the temperate zones. 
He is a Ions: worm 



with a boring head ; 
imagine an auger en- 
dowed with life, and THE shipworm and his work. 




20 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

you have a very good idea of what the teredo is. He enters the wood 
when young, and keeps on boring all his life ; he goes in the direction 
of the grain of the wood, and only turns aside for hard knots or for a 
fellow-worm, whose presence he seems to detect by the sound of his work. 
The teredo attacks wood immersed in salt water, and hence his destruc- 
tiveness to ships and to the piles that support docks and other marine 
structures. The timber is perforated and riddled so much that it crumbles 
to pieces in the course of time, and not a very long time either. Millions 
of dollars have been lost in consequence of the worm's performance, and 
not a few human lives. Ships lying in tropical harbors have been 
ruined by the teredo, and the injury has remained unknown until the 
vessels went to sea and were lost in the first gale that blew. 

"But he has not been without his uses," said the Doctor, with a smile. 
"It was the teredo that gave Brunei his idea of a machine for tunnelling 
under the Thames River, and since his time most of the machines for tun- 
nelling in soft earth have been made on the teredo principle. The head 
of the worm has a series of cutting disks that eat away the wood ; Brunei 
made a gigantic worm with windows in front, and each window was occu- 
pied by a man who removed the earth before him and thus made way for 
the machine to be pushed forward. The progress of Brunei's worm un- 
der the bed of the Thames was exactly like that of the teredo in a piece 
of wood," 

The Doctor delivered his improvised lecture amid the rattle of boxes 
that were sliding down the sloping gangway from the side of the steamer, 
as the process of unloading began almost immediately on her arrival. The 
lecture was suddenly terminated by the inattention of the audience, the 
antics of a donkey in a portable stall having caught their eyes. The animal 
did not relish the rapid descent along the gangway, as his progress easily 
averaged a mile a minute, and the momentum acquired in the slide carried 
him far out upon the wharf. He reared and plunged as he was going 
downwards, and in his struggles one of the upper slats of his cage was 
torn off. But at this point he became discreet, and carried his protests 
no further than to lift up his voice in its loudest tones. 

Threading their way through the mass of bales and boxes that covered 
the wharf, our friends were soon on solid earth at the end of the coral 
reef already mentioned. Here the tropical forest was visible in all its 
luxuriance, and not very far away, as the city does not cover a large area, 
and the trees grow luxuriantly wherever they are not kept down by the 
hand of man. Dr. Bronson explained to the youths that Aspinwall is 
built upon the island of Manzanillo, which is about three miles long by a 



UNLOADING AT ASPINWALL. 



21 



mile in width ; the harbor was formerly known as Navy Bay, and is said 
to have been discovered by Columbus on his third voyage. 




THE DONKEY'S DESCENT. 



In spite of the commercial importance of the place, Aspinwall contains 
little to interest the ordinary sight-seer. " Yon observe," said the Doctor, 
" that everything is designed for use, and not for ornament ; the buildings 
are of a practical character, and many of them are not even intended to 



22 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



be permanent. There are only a few hundred houses in the city, most of 
them of wood, and very loosely constructed. Some of the buildings of 
the railway company are of iron or brick, partly as a precaution against 
fire, and partly to secure immunity from tropical insects and the rapid 
deterioration of wood in the damp climate of the Isthmus. The canal 
company has followed the same plan in the construction of its shops and 
sheds, but as these structures will be of no further use when the canal is 
completed there is no attempt to make them ornamental. In the ordinary 
parlance of the tourist, Aspinwall can be ' done ' in half an hour." 




THE WHARF AT ASPINWALL. 



Following the Doctor's suggestion, they strolled along the street of 
hotels and shops near the head of the wharf, passed in front of the stone 
church, the first Protestant edifice ever erected in New Granada, gave a 
hasty glance at the iron buildings of the Panama Railway, and then 
returned to the steamer for breakfast. After that meal was concluded 
they went on shore again, arranged for temporary quarters in one of the 
hotels, and immediately transferred their baggage to it. 

As soon as they were settled at the hotel a carriage was ordered for a 
drive around the island by the " Paseo Coral," as the encircling road is 



SCENES IN ASPINWALL. 



23 



termed. For much of the way the drive was through, or close upon, 
the tropical forest, and the youths were more than once reminded of their 
excursion in Singapore, and the ride in Ceylon from Point de'Galle to 
Colombo. On one side of the island there was a view of the ocean, while 
on the other the scene included the dense swamp and series of islands 
lying between them and the mainland, with an occasional glimpse of the 
mountains that form the dividing ridge between the Atlantic and Pacific. 
The Doctor's scientific ardor was roused by the numerous shells with 
which the beach was strewn, and several times he stepped from the 
carriage to gather specimens for his cabinet of conchology. The youths 
looked longingly at the bananas and other fruits which grew in abundance, 
but they heeded the advice of their mentor, and abstained from induhnng. 
Aspinwall is not a healthy place at best, and the dangers of a stay there 
are greatly increased by an intimate acquaintance with the products of its 
gardens, w r hen one has freshly arrived from a sea-voyage. 

On returning from their excursion our friends went to deliver letters 
to one of the officials connected with the canal company's works, but, not 
finding him, they went to the railway terminus to witness the departure of 







DEPARTUEK FOR PANAMA. 



24 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

the train for Panama. The passengers, mails, express matter, and " fast " 
freight had been loaded as expeditiously as -possible into a train of eight 
or nine cars, and when all was read} 7 the usual signals were given, and the 
locomotive moved off with its burden. One of the officers of the steamer 
had joined our friends, and explained that it was the custom of the com- 
pany to despatch a special train on the arrival of a steamer, whether from 
Europe or America, in addition to the regular trains that were sent each 
way daily. Sometimes five or six trains were sent off in a single day, but 
such occurrences were unusual. 

" In the old times, 1 ' he continued, " when this was the principal route 
of travel between New York and San Francisco, the arrival of a steamer 
made a busy scene. Several hundred passengers were to be transferred, 
together with a large amount of mail and express matter ; the passengers 
were packed into the cars as closely -as possible, and when there was an 
unusual rush it took two or perhaps three trains to carry them all. In 
such cases the steerage passengers were sent away ahead of the others, 
while the cabin passengers and mails followed an hour or two later. Most 
of the passengers were encumbered with several articles of hand-baggage, 
together with oranges, bananas, and other fruits bought from the natives 
that swarmed around the station ; you would have thought they were 
setting out for a journey of a week or more, and provisioning themselves 
accordingly, instead of a continuous ride of three or four hours over a 
railway. There was often a contest for places in the carriages, and many 
an impromptu fight has occurred on the spot where we are so peacefully 
standing." 

Soon after the departure of the train Dr. Bronson and the youths re- 
turned to the hotel, where they found the official from the canal company 
awaiting them. He was accompanied by Mr. Colne, the secretary of the 
American committee of the company, and after the formalities of intro- 
duction were completed the party set out for the Atlantic entrance to the 
promised waterway from the Caribbean Sea to the Bay of Panama. 

The entrance to the canal is on the mainland, just behind the island 
on which Aspinwall is situated. The island has been enlarged in this 
direction, and, when the great ditch is completed, Aspinwall will be its 
Atlantic terminus in much the same way that Suez is the lied Sea ter- 
minus of the Suez Canal. 

Our friends were surprised at the magnitude of the works of the canal 
company, as they walked through the miniature city which has sprung up 
since the work of cutting the waterway was undertaken. There were 
acres and acres of warehouses and workshops, dwellings for the laborers, 



WORKING MANY CHANGES. 



25 



and residences of the officers, together with other edifices connected with 
the enormous enterprise. There was a scene of activity around the 
machine-shops, where engines and dredges were undergoing repairs, and it 
was difficult to believe that all this life had been infused into the tropical 
languor of the Isthmus in the past few years. 

Mr. Colne told the strangers that the new town had received the 
name of Christopher Columbus, in honor of the great navigator, who was 
believed to have visited the spot on his third voyage, at the time he dis- 
covered the bay in which Aspinwall is situated. " And here," said he, as 
they reached a row of neat cottages, "is the street called Charles de Les- 




NATIVE MARKET, ASPINWALL. 



seps ; these houses were made in New York and then brought here and 
put together, and we have houses at other places of the same character. 
Most of our dredges were made in the United States, and an American 
company has taken the contract for a large part of our excavating. Part 
of the land on which the city is built was reclaimed from the bay by fill- 
ing in with the earth dredged out for the canal and its approaches. Be- 
fore we get through with the work we shall have changed the appearance 
of this part of the coast so that its friends will hardly know it. 

"When we came here," he continued, "one of the first things we 
determined upon was the deepening of the harbor of Aspinwall up to the 



26 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



point where the canal is entered. As soon as the dredges were ready they 
went to work and made a channel that permits the largest ships to come 
up to the shore. We might have left it till the end of the enterprise, but 
it was better to have it done at the outset, as it facilitates the landing of 
our material." 

At the suggestion of Mr. Colne the party entered a boat, and spent a 




PREPARING FOR A BOAT EXCURSION. 



half-hour or more in an excursion around the harbor. While they were 
being propelled by the strong arms of six negro boatmen from the West 
Indies, their entertainer told them about the history of the canal enter- 
prise. Frank and Fred listened eagerly to the narration, and the former 
made notes of its most important points. With the aid of these memo- 
randa we will endeavor to repeat the story. 



Note. — This book was written and in the hands of the publishers previous to the burning of 
Aspinwall by insurgents, in March, 1885. 



THE INTEROCEANIC CANAL. 27 



CHAPTER II. 

FIRST DAY ON THE ISTHMUS.— THE PANAMA CANAL.— HISTORY OF THE CANAL 
ENTERPRISE.— PLANS OF BALBOA AND OTHERS.— THE VARIOUS ROUTES PRO- 
POSED.— STRAIN'S SURVEY OF DARIEN— VISITING THE WORKS AT PANAMA. 

"HPHE idea of a waterway across the narrowest part of the American 
-*- Continent, or, rather, of the isthmus connecting North and South 
America," said Dr. Bronson, "is almost as old as the discovery of the 
New World." 

" Quite right," replied their host. " In 1513, or twenty-one years after 
the discovery of America by Columbus, Vasco Nunez de Balboa, having 
taken possession of the Pacific Ocean, proposed making a passage through 
the rivers of Darien, but his death shortly afterwards caused the project 
to be dropped. 

"Ten years afterwards, or in 1523, Fernando Cortez had conquered 
Mexico, and proposed a waterway through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. 
He employed Gonzalo Sandoval to make a very careful survey of the 
route, and continued to urge his proposition after the Emperor Charles 
V. had removed the government of Mexico from his control. But the 
emperor was not favorably impressed with the scheme, which con- 
templated the expenditure of a vast amount of money, and, besides, he 
was more interested in obtaining a revenue from Mexico than in doing 
exactly the reverse. The proposal of Cortez was rejected as emphatically 
as was that of Balboa, but it is a remarkable circumstance that these two 
routes are the northern and southern extremes of the lines proposed for 
inter-oceanic canals. 

" By reference to a book by a celebrated Portuguese navigator of the 
sixteenth century, Antonio Galvao, it appears that, up to the year 1550, 
four routes had been discovered and examined, though none of them had 
been surveyed with care. Galvao states in his book that a maritime canal 
can be cut in four different places : First, between the Gulf of Uraba and 
the Gulf of San Juan; second, through the Isthmus of Panama; third, 
along the San Juan River, and through Lake Nicaragua; and, fourth, 
through the Mexican Isthmus. Several explorers were sent to examine 



2g THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

these routes, but they encountered many difficulties, and none of them 
brought back any exact information. So, -you perceive, the principal 
routes for an inter-oceanic canal were known to the geographical world 
three hundred years ago." 

There was a pause to enable Frank and Fred to examine the map 
which was spread before them, showing the routes which Mr. Colne had 




BALBOA TAKING POSSESSION OP THE PACIFIC. 



mentioned. When the examination was completed their entertainer con- 
tinued: 

"Very little attention was given to the subject for about two hundred 
years from the time I have mentioned. In the latter part of the 
eighteenth century the idea was revived again ; England thought it 
would be of great value to her if she could obtain control of a passage 



SURVEY OF THE DARIEN ROUTE. 



29 




from ocean to ocean, 

and in 1778 she sent 

an expedition against 

Nicaragua in order to 

obtain possession of 

the country. The enterprise was 

unsuccessful, and the commander, 

Lord Nelson, narrowly escaped 

with his life. 

"In 1780 and '81 surveys were 
made of the Panama and Nica- 
ragua routes, the former by order 
of King Charles III. of Spain, and 
the latter by Antonio de Bucareli, 

Viceroy of Mexico. These were the first technical surveys of the routes, 
all previous examinations having been made without the aid of engineer- 
ing instruments, and unaccompanied by calculations as to the amount of 
earth to be removed, and the probable cost of the work. 

"In 1804, Alexander Yon Humboldt and Admiral Fitzroy, the former 
having made a personal examination of the Darien route, declared in its 
favor. This route has had many adherents, and a large amount of money 
has been expended in its examination. I will not weary you with the 
names of all the explorers and engineers who have examined the various 
Isthmus routes. The catalogue is a long one; many valuable lives have 
been sacrificed in this work, and the most of those who returned alive 
were able to present only unsatisfactory reports. The climate was fear- 
fully unhealthy ; the natives were either hostile to the enterprise or indif- 



30 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ferent, and would rarely give assistance ; and though the governments 
through whose territory the routes lay were' generally well disposed, they 
could not always control their subjects." 

"Probably the most thorough explorations," remarked Dr. Bronson, 
"were those ordered by the government of the United States in 1870. 
Several ships were fitted out, and the Darien, Nicaragua, Tehuantepec, 
and Panama routes were examined. Commodore Shufeldt went to the 
Isthmus of Tehuantepec ; Commanders Hatfield and Lull went to Nicara- 
gua, the latter visiting Panama, to complete the exploration of that route. 



/f'^% \% 




RESCUE OF THE SURVIVORS OF STRAIN'S EXPEDITION. 



Commander Selfridge and Lieutenant Collins examined the Darien route, 
and also some of the rivers entering the ocean a little farther to the north. 
The whole exploration occupied about three years, and the reports are very 
voluminous. They are more interesting to the engineer than to the gen- 
eral reader, and I did not bring them along as part of my baggage." 

" I have read," said Fred, "about the expedition of Lieutenant Strain. 
Please tell us what route he examined." 

"Strain's expedition was to survey the Darien route," replied the Doc- 



STRAIN'S EXPEDITION. 



31 



tor. " It ended disastrously, as the party lost its way, and also its instru- 
ments and provisions, and wandered for many days in a dense forest where 
the men were obliged to cut their path at nearly every step. More than 
half the party perished in the wilderness, and Lieutenant Strain died soon 
after his return to the United States. 

" The misfortunes of Strain's expedition were due in great measure to 
information which proved to have been almost entirely false. An English 
engineer, named Gisborne, had published a book containing a pretended 
survey of the country, which he claimed to have surveyed ; in consequence 




STRAIN S ARRIVAL AT THE COAST. 



of this report the governments of England, France, New Granada, and the 
United States of America sent expeditions, all of which failed disastrously. 
Strain's was the only one of the number that succeeded in crossing from 
ocean to ocean, the rest having turned back on account of the many un- 
expected difficulties, and the hostility of the Indians, who attacked them 
repeatedly. It turned out that Gisborne had never crossed the Isthmus, 
and his map of the Darien region was almost wholly imaginary. 

"Several companies have been formed at different times," the Doctor 
continued, " for the construction of a canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 



32 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



but the most of them have existed only on paper. The first of these com- 
panies was based on Gisborne's imaginary surveys, and was organized in 
England, with a capital of seventy-five million dollars. Sir Charles Fox 
and other heavy capitalists were the promoters of this company, and they 
confidently expected to complete their work before the year 1860. ■ The 
preliminary operations showed that the canal, if built at all, would cost 
several times that amount, and the enterprise was abandoned. 

"Concessions have also been granted on other routes, but no serious 
work has been performed; the concessions were limited in the time of 
commencing and completing the work, and one after another the limit of 




VIEW ON THE CHAGRES RIVER. 



time expired without anything having been accomplished. The Panama 
route is the only one on which there has been an attempt to make a canal ; 
the government of the United States has made a treaty with Nicaragua for 
the construction of a canal through that country, but, up to the present 
time, the scheme has not gone beyond the surveys and the reports of the 
engineers." 

"We are confident," said Mr. Colne, with a smile, " that our canal from 
Aspinwall to Panama will be completed, and that large ships will pass 
through it before the 1st of January, 1890. Indeed, some of our engi- 
neers promise it for the New Year of 1889. Thus far the work lias pro- 



THE COST OF MAKING THE CANAL. 33 

gressed qnite as fast as we expected at the outset, and if no unforeseen 
difficulties arise, we shall have the canal completed before 1890." 

One of the youths asked how ranch the canal was likely to cost, and 
how it would compare with the Suez Canal, which they had visited on their 
return from the Far East. 

"Wot to trouble you with details," replied the Doctor, "the estimate 
of the cost was originally six hundred millions of francs, or one hundred 
and twenty millions of dollars. Yery few enterprises come within the 
original estimates, and it is probable that not less than thirty millions of 
dollars, and perhaps another hundred millions, must be added to these 
figures, and some engineers say three hundred millions will be required. 
The cost of the Suez Canal was about one hundred millions, and the work 
at Suez was very light compared with that at Panama." 

" I remember," said Fred, " that the Suez Canal is practically a great 
ditch through a sandy country, with no elevation of more than sixty feet, 
and but very little rock to be cut away. Nearly half the length of the 
canal was made by filling up depressions in the desert, which were turned 
into lakes by allowing the water to run into them. Is there anything of 
the kind here ?" 

" Not by any means," was the reply ; " the Panama Canal is being cut 
through a region where the difficulties are enormous by comparison with 
those at Suez. Instead of a waste of sand, there is a tropical forest for 
the greater part of the way, and in place of the depressions which were 
converted into lakes to form part of the Suez Canal, we have a chain of 
hills which are nearly three hundred feet high at the lowest points. The 
summit level of the Panama Railway is two hundred and sixty-three feet 
above the level of tide-water on the Atlantic coast, and the canal must 
have the enormous depth of three hundred feet, and at some points more 
than that." 

" That is quite correct," replied their host. " It will be the deepest 
canal cutting in the world when it is completed. On the section of Cnle- 
bra, in a distance of little more than a mile, we must remove twenty-five 
million cubic metres of earth and pile it up elsewhere. Fortunately, our 
work is rendered easy in this respect, as there are many valleys close to the 
canal where the earth can be disposed of. Do you know how much is 
represented by twenty-five million cubic metres ?" 

Fred made a calculation on a slip of paper, roughly converting metres 
into yards by adding one fifth. Then he reduced the yards into cubic feet, 
and announced that, with the earth to be removed from the Culebra sec- 
tion of the canal they could build a wall nine feet thick and twenty feet 

3 



34: 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



high for a distance of twenty-eight miles, and have a good many car-loads 
to spare. 

" This will give you an idea of the work to be performed here," replied 
Mr. Colne, " and you must remember that it is only one single section of 
the entire line. Then, too, there are great difficulties in the way on 
account of the rains, and the sudden overflows of the Chagres River, which 
crosses the line of the canal. Instead of being a depression to be filled 
with water, it is liable to pour out at any moment much more water than 
we want." 




BEACH NEAR ASPINN'ALL. 



"The average rainfall of this part of the Isthmus," said Dr. Bronson, 
"according to the official reports, is over twelve feet. This is not distrib- 
uted through the year, but is confined to about seven months. During 
a single rain-storm six and a half inches of water have fallen. 

" The consequence is that there are excessive floods in the rivers ; the 
Chagres River, which you see represented on the map as crossing the canal, 
is, in the dry season, a stream about two hundred and fifty feet wide and 
two feet deep. During a heavy flood it is fifteen hundred feet wide, and 



A GREAT RESERVOIR. 



35 



over forty feet deep, and it has been known to rise thirty or forty feet in 
a few hours. In these floods it brings down trees, rocks, and earth, and 
sometimes houses, and the sides of hills. In one freshet, an iron tank, 
that stood seventeen feet above the railway track, was washed away, and on 
several occasions considerable portions of the road have been destroyed." 




PM^5==£?S 



IN THE RAINY SEASON. 



"We get over that difficulty," said Mr. Oolne, "by making a barrage, 
or dam, across the river, and between two hills, to retain the waters during 
the freshets, and let them out gradually by lateral sluices. The capacity 
of the reservoir formed by the dam will be much more than enough to 
hold all the water coming down in the greatest rise that, has ever been 
known since the railway was completed, in 1855. Mr. De Lesseps says 
that there are three reservoirs in the world of greater capacity than this : 
one is at St. Etienne, France; one at La Gillappe, Belgium; and one 
at Alicante, in Spain. They have stood for three centuries, and are as 
good and strong as they ever were. Science has improved since the great 
retaining walls of Alicante were erected, and the dam of the Chagres 



36 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



River will be perfectly safe, and do justice to the science which con- 
structs it." 

By this time the boat had reached the line of the breakwater which 
was being constructed to protect the harbor from the strong " northers " 
that sometimes blow at Aspinwall, and make anchorage unsafe. The earth 
dredged from the canal and from the shallow portions of the bay was 
partty used for forming the ground already mentioned, and partly for con- 
structing the breakwater. For the latter purpose it was piled between 




A HAND-CAR JOURNEY ON THF. PANAMA RAILWAY. 



NEAR ASPINWALL. 37 

walls of rock, and it was expected that the work would be completed long 
before the canal was ready for use. 

From the breakwater they were taken to the entrance of the channel 
opened by the dredges for the canal, and the location of the proposed new 
port was pointed out. Then they proceeded up the great ditch for two 
or three miles, and landed where the canal and railway were close together. 



SURVEYIiNG UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



Two hand-cars were standing on the track and evidently waiting for them. 
The gentleman to whom they had brought the letter was there, and also 
one of the officials of the railway. At the invitation of the latter, the 
party was soon distributed on the vehicles, three on one and three on the 
other. Comfortably seated on the front of the hand-cars, which were pro- 
pelled by natives in very scanty dress, our friends rolled easily over the 
level track, in the direction of the high ground, and also of Panama. 

Frank and Fred thought they had never taken a more delightful ride. 
The air was delicious; there was the luxuriant vegetation of the tropics 



38 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



all around them ; birds were abundant in the trees ; monkeys occasionally 
chattered above them, or swung from the limbs, as if inviting the strangers 
to stop and visit their relatives ; the speed was just enough for comfort ; 
their vision was unimpeded, and there was no locomotive in front of them 
to poison the air with fumes of burning coal or shower them with cinders. 
Then, too, their guide was a cyclopaedia of knowledge, as he had been for 




NATIVE VILLAGE ON THE ISTHMUS. 



a long time connected with the railway and was thoroughly conversant 
with its histoiw. 

" It was one of the most difficult roads to build that I ever heard of," 
said he, "and three times the work was suspended on account of the im- 
possibility of getting enough laborers or bringing forward the necessary 
material. Everything had to be brought from New York or some other 
American or European city, as there was no labor worth having to be 
found on the Isthmus itself. Between Aspinwall and Monkey Hill the 
engineers had sometimes to wade up to their waists while laying out 



THE STEAM MONSTER. 



39 



the line, and after the road was completed the track repeatedly sank down 
out of sight. It happened several times that two or three hundred feet of 
road would thus disappear in a single night, and then the whole force of 
the road was put to work to fill up the cavities. There are some places 
that, were filled two or three times before the road-bed was solid enough 
to stay. Since the canal company began operations here it has built 
some new tracks, and occasionally meets with the same trouble, but the 
old part of the line is all right now. 

" There is a good story of how the natives of the country around 
Grafenn had their first view of a locomotive. The track was completed to 
that point, and a day was set for running an engine over it. People came 
for long distances; they had heard wonderful stories of the witchcraft of 
the strangers, and there was great curiosity to know about it. There was 
an immense crowd, and at the appointed time the locomotive came in 
sight, puffing vigorously, and emitting clouds of steam and smoke. There 
was great excitement, which reached the pitch of terror when the creature 
came into the midst of the crowd, and the whistle was blown. The whole 
crowd fled to the river, and many of them jumped in, expecting they 
would be pursued, and possibly devoured. 

" Finding the monster did not follow them, they gathered courage and 
reassembled, but stood at a safe distance, ready to run again if necessary. 
They sent forward their priest to 
examine the animal ; he surveyed 
it carefully, and then informed his 
followers that it was not an animal, 
but a machine, in which there was a 
veritable demon chained, and com- 
pelled to work the crank which pro- 
pelled it. The explanation was suf- 
ficient; the good priest knew it was 
hopeless to attempt to enlighten them 
on the uses of steam, and found the 
demon story the shortest way out of 
the difficulty. It is just possible, 
though, that he was not versed in 
natural philosophy, and his explana- 
tion may have been the honest result 
of his observation." 

At several points, as they passed 
along, Fred observed men cutting native idea of the locomotive. 




40 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



away the bushes by the roadside, and, in reply to a question, he learned 
that the growth of the tropical forest was so rapid that men were kept 
busy all along the route in keeping it down, so that it would not touch the 
passing trains. "But it is not without its advantages," said their inform- 
ant; "what it costs to keep down the rapid vegetation is more than com- 
pensated by the interlacing of the roots through the road-bed so that it 
makes a powerful resistance to the water which rushes down the slopes 
after the heavy rains. Many a serious injury to the road has been pre- 
vented by this mass of roots." 

Their attention was called to the flowers that grew in the forest, and 

the eyes of the youths were con- 
stantly occupied with the varieties 
of trees and plants that they passed 
in their ride. There were palms and 
mangroves, canes, ferns, orchids, 
and creeping, climbing, and hanging 
plants almost without number. There 
was hardly a tree without a parasite, 
and many trees were covered from 
the base to the topmost limb with 
foliage that was not their own. In 
some cases the trees were actually 
killed by the parasites that clung to 
them, and reminded our friends of 
the picture of a deer strangled by a 
serpent. 

Fred asked for the famous prod- 
uct of the Isthmus, a member of 
the orchid family, Peristera Electa, 
known as " Flor del Espiritu Santo," 
or " Flower of the Holy Spirit." It 
was pointed out to them, and, at the 
youth's request, they stopped long 
enough to gather a few specimens. 
The youths greatly admired the 
flower, and when they saw it neither of them wondered at its name nor the 
reverence with which it is regarded in Central American countries. It 
has a white blossom resembling the tulip, and in the inside of the blossom 
is the figure of a dove. It needs no imagination to show the form of the 
bird ; there it rests, with its wings drooping at its sides and its head bent 




THE ESPIRITU SANTO FLOWER. 



FLOWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 



41 



forward so that the bill almost touches the breast ; the body of the dove is 
of a snowy white, while the bill is tipped with red. The flower has a 
perfume resembling that of the magnolia, and it blooms in the latter part 
of the summer months. 

Frank wanted to send home some of the plants, and was told that lie 
could do so with ease, but the bulbs would not live unless they were pro- 
cured in May or June, when the stalks had been sufficiently developed to 
produce the flower. It is said that the early Spanish explorers of the 
Isthmus bowed before this flower and worshipped it, and the reverence 
that was then developed has never been lost. Down to quite recently 
it was very difficult to procure specimens of the Espiritu Santo flower, 
owing to this reverential feeling, and it is only since the colonization of 
the Isthmus by Americans that the stranger has been able to obtain all he 
wants. The flower is now cultivated in hot-houses, and has been trans- 
ported to other tropical countries, where it is successfully grown. 

Fred called attention to several trees resembling some they had seen in 
Java and Ceylon, and Frank picked out three or four varieties of mahogany 




GAT [IN STATION. 



42 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



which he could 'recognize. Occasionally there was a clearing devoted to 
bananas and other fruits, and at Gatnn Station, where the road was close 
to the bank of theChagres River, several natives offered the fruits for sale. 
The old village of Gatun was on the opposite shore of the river, and con- 
sisted of a group of huts half concealed by the foliage. In the old days 
of California travel, before the construction of the railway, the inhabitants 
of Gatun drove a prosperous trade with the gold-seekers ; according to 
one writer, "eggs were sold for twenty-five cents apiece, and the ground- 
rent for a hammock was two dollars a night." 

An excavating machine was in operation not far from the railway, and 
huge mounds of earth had been thrown up on either side of the line of 
the canal. Hundreds of laborers were at work, and the scene was, in many 
respects, a repetition of what they had encountered at Aspinwall, or, rather, 
at the new city which has risen near it. " This is an American machine," 
said their, guide, as he pointed to the excavator, "and it will interest you 
to know that the excavators and dredges from New York have proved 
more satisfactory than those of French construction. They are very 
effective, and rarely get out of order ; the French machines were admira- 
bly adapted to the Suez Canal, but the soil here is much harder than that 
at Suez, and requires a more powerful engine for its removal." 

From Gatun the party returned to the canal entrance, and thence to 
their hotel in Aspinwall. Later they dined with their new friends, and 
when they retired for the night they felt that they had crowded a good 
deal of sight-seeing into their first day on the Isthmus. 




A TROPICAL HARBOR. 



ON THE PANAMA RAILWAY. 



43 



CHAPTER III. 

OVER THE ISTHMUS. —A PROFITABLE RAILWAY.— ISTHMUS FEVER.— TROPICAL 
TREES, FLOWERS, AND ANIMALS.— SIGHTS IN PANAMA.— THE CATHEDRAL.— 
A STROLL ON THE BEACH.— THE PARADISE OF CONCHOLOG1STS. 

"1V]~EXT morning onr friends arranged to leave for Panama by the regular 
■*- ^ train. Just as 'they were about starting from the hotel they were met 
by the manager of the railway, who invited them to occupy the directors' 




MAP OF THE PANAMA RAILWAY. 



car, which was to be drawn by a special locomotive, and would follow the 
train an hour or more later. They accepted the invitation, sending their 



44 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

baggage by the train, with the assurance that it would be found at the 
station at Panama on their arrival. The directors' car afforded superior 
facilities for seeing the objects of interest along the route, and, besides, 
they were to be accompanied by the manager, and also by the official who 
had been of such practical assistance on the previous day. 

They were joined by some of the officials connected with the construc- 
tion of the canal, and altogether the party was a most agreeable one. Dr. 
Bronson explained to the } 7 ouths that when the canal company was organ- 
ized it was deemed advisable to have command of the railway in order to 
facilitate the work. A controlling interest in the line was bought by the 
canal company, and it is fair to suppose that the owners of the shares re- 
ceived a good price for their property. 

" The Panama Railway has been the most profitable thing of the kind 
in the world," said the Doctor, " or, at any rate, one of the most profit- 
able I ever heard of. The managers have generally kept their affairs as 
much as possible to themselves, and would, doubtless, assure you that they 
had lost money by their investment, which is often the case with men 
who have a remunerative business of any kind. The local fare over the 
line between Aspinwall and Panama was established at twenty-five dollars, 
and remained at that figure for nearly twenty years. Twenty-five dollars 
for a ride of forty-eight miles, or more than fifty cents a mile! Thousands 
of passengers were carried over the road every month, and every thousand 
passengers meant twenty-five thousand dollars to the railway. At one 
time the steamships were carrying steerage passengers from New York to 
San Francisco for eighty dollars, including the transit of the Isthmus; 
the steamship company thus received fifty-five dollars for carrying a pas- 
senger five thousand five hundred miles, including his board and lodging 
for twenty-three days, while the railway company received almost half as 
much for carrying him forty-eight miles, lodging him four hours in rickety 
cars, and giving him no board whatever. 

"But bygones are bygones," continued the Doctor, "and if an}' trav- 
eller disliked the price of the railway journey he had the privilege of 
going by the old route. This involved a tedious journey up the Chagres 
River by bongoes or native boats as far as Gorgona, and a ride thence over 
the hills and through the mud to Panama. The riding was done on the 
backs of mules, as there was no wagon-road ; travellers were often obliged 
to pass the night in the open air, as there were very scanty accommodations 
in the few villages along the road: a week or more was ffenerallv con- 
sumed in the trip; the prices of everything were exorbitant; and the 
tourist generally reached the end of his journey feeling very much as if 



THE OLD WAY TO CALIFORNIA. 



45 



he bad been passed through a patent wringing-machine. Not a few fell 
ill and died on the way, and many a fevered sufferer in California, years 
afterwards, could trace the beginning of his ills to his exposure on the 
Isthmus. 'Isthmus fever' became known almost as a distinct malady, 
and it was often very difficult of cure. It is pretty well forgotten now, 




CROSSING THE ISTHMUS IN 1S49. 



thanks to the rapid transit afforded by the railway. Under all the circum- 
stances, the enterprising men who constructed this road deserve every cent 
they received from it ; it has saved thousands of lives to the population of 
the United States and other countries, and has added materially to the 
commercial facilities of the world. It was built under many discourage- 
ments, and the energy displayed in its construction was worthy of a liberal 
reward." 

They rolled merrily over the track and in a little while had passed 
Gatun Station, and the point they visited in their excursion to inspect the 



46 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



work on the canal. They wound among the low hills and along the hank 
of the Chagres River, catching pretty views here and there, and passing 
several unimportant stations without stopping. One of the officials pointed 
out the cottage which was the favorite residence of Mr. John L. Stephens 
during his connection with the railway, and also a gigantic tree which has 
long been known as " Stephens's tree." Other objects of interest were 
indicated, and there was not an idle moment in the whole journey. 




The railway crosses the Chagres River at Barbacoas, where there is a 
fine bridge, which has withstood the shocks of that capricious stream in a 
manner that reflects creditably upon its builders. A little beyond Barba- 
coas they met a train bound eastward, and waited a short time on a siding 
to enable the locomotive and its burden to get out of the way. The delay 
gave an opportunity for a brief excursion into the tropical forest, which 
came close up to the railway, as it does for the greater part of the distance 
between Aspinwall and Panama. 

Frank and Fred were accompanied by one of their new friends, who 
seemed to be well versed in the botany of the country. The first tree to 



THE BOTANY OF THE ISTHMUS. 



47 




^^^gfpfw;|!:«i!iiiBii!iii'|ii:' ; fi;i!»i.'., : iifip .<» !»iiin,,;.i j * --fCLU 




BRIDGE ACROSS THE CHAGRES RIVER AT BARBACOAS. 



meet their gaze was a palm, and while they were noting its peculiarities 
their guide told them there was no place in the world where so many 
varieties of the palm could be found together as on the Isthmus. " There 
are," said he, " twenty-one different species of palm-trees ; I am informed 
that three or four more have been found in the vicinity, but I have not 
seen them. From one of the well-known varieties is extracted the palm- 
oil of commerce ; another produces a sweet sap from which the natives 
distil a wine they use freely as a beverage ; there is the ' sugar palm,' from 
which sugar is made; the 'sago palm, 1 which produces sago, but of a 
quality inferior to that of the Malay Archipelago ; the ' ivory palm,' which 
supplies vegetable ivory; the 'cabbage palm,' whose stalks resemble the 
cabbage in appearance and taste; and the 'glove palm,' from which bags 
for holding grain or kindred things are readily obtained. Houses, weapons, 
domestic utensils, and many other things are made from the leaves, stalks, 
fruit, bark, or wood of the palm, and the tree is quite as necessary to the 
existence of the natives of the Isthmus as is the bamboo to the inhabit- 
ants of tropical Asia." 



48 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




MEETING A TRAIN. 



It was impossible to penetrate far into the forest, owing to the network 
of hanging and creeping plants that blocked the way, and the youths were 
not long in realizing the difficulties encountered by the surveyors who laid 
ont the line of the railway. Their guide described many of the vegetable 
growths that were visible, and the number was so great that Frank was 
fairly bewildered with them. So he called attention to the birds darting 
among the thick foliage, and asked about the animal kingdom of the 
country. 

" There are birds, beasts, reptiles, and insects here in great number," 
was the reply. " There are parrots of several kinds, some of which will 
learn to talk while others will not; there are toucans, with enormous beaks 
especially designed for the disposal of fruits; humming-birds of gorgeous 
hues and hardly bigger than bees; and there are orioles, trogons, tanagers, 



BIRDS AND MONKEYS. 



49 




THE SINGING HUMMER. 



and other birds whose names are only known 

locally or in scientific works. There are wild 

turkeys and grouse among the hills ; the lat- 
ter are shy and not easily taken, and the 

hunter is always at a disadvantage on account 

of the thickness of the shrubbery ; the tapir 

abounds in the low ground and marshes near 

the rivers, and his flesh is not unlike 
pork in taste and appearance. You 
have already seen monkeys, and if 
you could go into the forest a dozen 
miles from the settlements you might 
see hundreds of them in a single day. 
They go in large parties oftentimes, 
and whenever they make a raid on a 
banana plantation they destroy in a 
few hours the labor of a whole sea- 
son. There is a tradition that in the 
old days the natives used to serve up 
monkey flesh to the California emi- 




THE HUMMING-BIRD AT WORK. 




THE IGUANA. 



50 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




A CENTIPEDE. 



the size of a half-grown chicken 
"Not exactly," replied their 
which is very abundant on the 
Isthmus, and considered an 
excellent article of food. It 
is rapacious, like the crab gen- 
erally, and comes fearlessly 
into the presence of man in 
search of a breakfast. These 
crabs devour the flesh of ani- 
mals, and will often reduce a 
horse or ox to a heap of pol- 
ished bones in a few hours. It 
will be well for you to tread 



grants under the name of ' opossum.' 
The opossum is found here, but he is 
not easily taken, and a man from the 
States would have no hesitation in eat- 
ing its flesh, though he might seriously 
object to dining on monkey. 

" Besides the animals I have men- 
tioned," he continued, "we have the 
ant-eater, peccary, sloth, deer, cougar, 
bear, and tiger-cat ; the peccary is also 
known as the ' wild hog,' and is closely 
allied to the tapir. There is a lizard 
called the iguana, which is sometimes 
five or six feet long, and is as delicious 
as lobster or chicken ; its eggs are much 
prized by the natives, and frequently 
seen in the markets. Americans who 
come here are generally chary of eating 
iguana, because it is a lizard ; we have 
got over this difficulty by naming it 
'Panama lobster,' and thus silencing all 
objections. There's a great deal in a 
name." 

The youths admitted the evident 

truth of the assertion. Suddenly, Frank 

espied almost under his feet a crab about 

, and asked if it was a " Panama beetle." 

guide, with a smile. " It is a land-crab, 




A SCORPION. 



POISONOUS INSECTS. 



51 



carefully on the ground in the vicinity, as you never know when you will 
encounter a scorpion, tarantula, or centipede, or even a venomous snake. 
Occasionally we rind large serpents of the constrictor species, but they 
are not as dangerous as the smaller reptiles and insects. The tarantula is 
a sort of hairy spider, quite pretty to look at, but so venomous that his 
bite causes death in a few hours. The natives have a belief that if a ta- 
rantula simply walks over the flesh without biting there is left a poison- 
ous trail which causes rheumatic and other pains, lasting for years or per- 
haps for a lifetime. Catch one of these spiders and show it to a group of 
natives, and they will run shrieking away from you." 



"" a- ^SW £' -Iy- : : - aK I - 



£ 




EXHIBITING A TARANTULA. 



The whistle of the locomotive put an end to the conversation, and re- 
called the young naturalists to the train. Fred observed a native with one 
foot bandaged across the toes, and asked what was the matter with him. 

" Probably jiggers," was the reply. 

" And please tell us what jiggers are ?" 

" Its native name is chigoe" answered their guide, "and this has been 



52 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



anglicized into 'jigger.' Its scientific name is Pulex penetrans y it is a 
species of flea which deposits its eggs in the human body, especially un- 
der the skin of the foot or the nails of the toes. Its presence is indicated 
by a slight itching and subsequently by a membranous sac, like the head 
of a pin. This sac can be removed with a needle or by washing the feet 
with tobacco juice; if allowed to remain it causes an ulcer, and the victim 
will quite likely lose his toes. It is necessary to keep close watch to 
one's feet, and wash them frequently with strong soap or decoction of 
tobacco." 

Natural history gave place to more immediate matters as the train 
passed one of the points where excavations for the canal were going on. 
The scene was a repetition of that at Gatun, and needs no special descrip- 
tion, but it naturally led to further conversation upon the great enter- 
prise which was intended to unite the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. 

Fred asked how it happened that a canal through the Isthmus con- 
necting North and South America was being constructed by Frenchmen 
and with French capital? 




HILLS NKAR THK RAILWAY. 



THE ROUTES OF COMMERCE. 



53 




54 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

" For the very simple reason," the Doctor answered, " that Americans 
were unwilling to risk their money in the work and the French were 
ready to do so. The final surveys were made by Lieutenant Bonaparte 
Wyse of the French navy, and the expense was paid by French capital- 
ists. M. De Lesseps, whose name has become known throughout the 
world for his energy in making the Suez Canal, caused an international 
congress to be assembled at Paris in 1879 ; this congress decided in favor 
of the present location, and for a canal without locks. Under his leader- 
ship the company was formed, and the work is going on as you see it. 

" It is quite likely that diplomatic questions will arise concerning the 
use of the canal by the great nations of the globe ; meantime, we need 
not disturb ourselves about it, but wait patiently for the day when ships 
will be able to pass from ocean to ocean. To understand the advantages 
to commerce which will result from the construction of the canal you 
have only to look at this map and observe the difference between the 
proposed routes for ships and those which are at present followed." 

The Doctor unfolded a map which we give on page 53. While Frank 
and Fred were glancing at the routes marked upon it, Dr. Bronson read 
the following array of figures : 

Miles. 

The distance from New York to Sydney, Australia, via Cape Horn, is 12,870 

" " " " via Panama 9,950 

In favor of Panama 2,920 

The distance from New York to Honolulu, Sandwich Isl., via Cape Horn. . . . 13,560 

" " " " via Panama 6,800 

In favor of Panama 6,760 

The distance from New York to Hong Kong, via Cape Horn 17,420 

" " " »«a Panama 11,850 

In favor of Panama 5,570 

The distance from New York to Yokohama, Japan, via Cape Horn 16,710 

" " " via Panama 10,220 

In favor of Panama 6,490 

The distance from England to Sydney, Australia, via Cape of Good Hope. . . 12,828 

" " " via Panama i2,730 

In favor of Panama 98 

" Between England and Sydney they don't save much distance," Fred 
remarked ; " but on all the other routes there is a great difference in the 
figures. We will all hope for the speedy completion of the canal, and 
on the opening day we'll fling our hats in the air and cheer as loudly as 
possible in honor of Ferdinand De Lesseps." 

Meantime the train had left the valley Of the Chagres River and was 
ascending among the hills towards the summit level, two hundred and sixty- 



CROSSING THE RIDGE. 



55 



eight feet above the ocean. Many of the hills were sharply conical and 
showed that they were of volcanic origin ; high embankments and heavy 
cuttings followed each other in rapid succession, and at one point the road 
wound round the side of a hill composed of basaltic crystals about twelve 
inches in diameter and eight or ten feet long. It was explained that this 




BASALTIC CLIFF. 



was one of the few instances in the world where basaltic columns were 
found in any but upright positions : at Fingal's Cave, in Staff a, the Giant's 
Causeway, in Ireland, and the Palisades of the Hudson they are upright, 
but on this hill of the Panama Isthmus they are in all sorts of positions, 
and indicate very clearly that there has been a great convulsion of nat- 
ure since their formation. 

The Cerro de Los £uca?ieros i or " Hill of The Buccaneers," was 



56 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



pointed out. It receives the name from the fact that from its summit 
the buccaneer, Morgan, had his first view of ancient Panama in 1668, 
and he encamped at the base of the hill on the night before his attack 
upon the city. 

Soon after passing this memorable hill the city of Panama was visible 
in the distance. Entering the railway station, they came to a halt, and in 




PANAMA IN THE DISTANCE. 



a few moments Frank and Fred were gazing on the waters breaking on 
the beach just outside the spacious building. A long pier jutted into the 
bay at the end of the station ; a steamboat was being laden there with 
freight, intended for one of the large steamers grouped together two or 
three miles away. Dr. Bronson explained that the bay of Panama is quite 
shallow for a long way out, and only boats of light draft can come close to 
shore. The canal company is dredging a channel from the deep parts of 
the bay up to the shore, which will form an approach to the mouth of the 
canal, when that work is completed. The tide rises and falls about fif- 
teen feet on the average, varying with the season and the phases of the 
moon ; and consequently a lock will be necessary at Panama to prevent 
the formation of a current through the canal. 



THE PACIFIC END OF THE CANAL. 



57 



The mouth of the canal is at La Boca, some distance from the railway 
station. Engineering reasons caused the selection of this spot, as it 
possessed considerable advantages over the railway terminus. It is the 
intention of the company to dredge out a large basin near La Boca, where 
ships can lie in safety while waiting their turn to pass through to the At- 
lantic Ocean. Until this basin is completed, the anchorage for large ships 
will be in the vicinity of the islands where the Pacific Mail, and other large 
companies, have their docks and coaling-stations. 




STATION AT PANAMA. 



Our friends found their baggage at the station ; they had telegraphed 
for accommodations in the principal hotel of Panama, and the runner of 
the house was waiting to meet them. Confiding their baggage to his 
care, they proceeded at once to the establishment ; breakfast had been 
served in the directors' car during the ride from Aspinwall, and conse- 
quently they were ready to start at once to look through the city. We 
are permitted to make the following extract from Frank's note-book : 

" Panama contains about eleven thousand inhabitants, and is very sub- 
stantially built of stone. There is nothing particularly attractive about 



58 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




CATHEDRAL AT PANAMA. 



it, but it is quaint and interesting; the houses are built with courtyards, 
in the Spanish style, and yon might easily imagine yourself in a part of 
Cordova or Cadiz, or even in Madrid. The cathedral is a fine building 
for this part of the world, though it would not be regarded as of much 
account in any prominent city of Europe. The bells are old and not 
very tuneful ; they are rung at frequent intervals, beginning at an early 
hour of the morning, and it is not advisable for a nervous traveller to 
take lodgings in the immediate vicinity of the venerable building. 

" The city is in north latitude 8° 57', and received a royal charter from 
King Charles I. of Spain, in 1521. 'Panama' is an Indian word which 
means ' a place abounding in fish ;' the old city was about six miles north- 
east of the present one, which dates from 1670. Old Panama was de- 
stroyed in 1668, by Morgan, the buccaneer, and for a long time the pres- 



THE WALLS OF PANAMA. 



59 



ent city was known as ' New Panama,' to distinguish it from its prede- 
cessor. 

" The builders of the new city surrounded it with strong walls as a de- 
fence against invaders, but these walls have been allowed to go to ruin. 
They would be of no use against modern artillery, as a few cannon could 
batter them down in half a dozen hours. In many places, bushes and trees 
grow among the stones; at one time the inhabitants were allowed to help 
themselves to building material from the walls, but the practice was not 
long continued. Originally the walls were from twenty to forty feet high, 
with battlements and towers at frequent intervals; they cost so much 
that the Spanish government wrote to the commander of the city, and 
wished to know 'whether the walls were builded of silver or of gold.' 
We saw some of the cannon that were sent from Spain for the defence of 
the walls ; they have not been fired for many years, and would probably 
explode at the first attempt to use them. 

" We went along the principal street, looking into the cathedral, which 
is probably two hundred feet long by a hundred and fifty in width, and 
is divided in the interior by four rows of massive columns which support 




RAMPARTS, WITH OLD CANNON. 



60 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




WATER-CARRIER AND NATIVE WOMAN. 



the roof. It contains numerous shrines and altars; the floor is of brick, 
and when we entered it was being swept by half a dozen dark-skinned 
natives, one of whom offered to show us through the building. We de- 
clined the proposal, as there did not appear to be much worth seeing, and 
our time was limited. 

" In the plaza or square in front of the cathedral there were little 
groups of people, a few on horseback, but the most of them on foot. 
There were a few women whose veils of rich lace showed that they be- 
longed to the upper classes, and others, more numerous, who wore the 



STREET SCENES IN PANAMA. 



61 



reboza or mantle of the descendants of the aborigines. There were 
water-carriers mounted on mules, and on each side of every mule was a 
couple of kegs of water, with a sprig of grass or a bunch of leaves stuck 
into the opening on top. Panama has no system of public water-works, 
and the inhabitants are supplied from house to house, in the manner of 
two hundred years ago. .The occupation of a water-carrier is said to de- 
scend from father to son ; nobody gets rich at the business, but it af- 
fords a living to a good many people. 

" There were many natives riding, or leading mules laden with garden 
produce from the neighborhood, and also other natives who were their 
own beasts of burden, and carried baskets or bags on their heads. There 
were priests in flowing robes and shovel-shaped hats, some hurrying along 
as if on important business, while others were idling among the people, 
and evidently enjoying themselves. The cathedral is on the western side 
of the plaza, and on the southern side is the cdbildo or Government 
House, corresponding to our City Hall. It is a plain building of stone, 
two stories high, and with wide porticoes or balconies on both stories. 
Here all the business of the city is conducted. 





GATE OF THE MONKS. 



62 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"On the other side of the square there were several plain -looking 
buildings, with dwellings on the upper stories and stores below; some of 
them were old, while others were new, and there were two or three gaps 
where nothing but ruins was visible. Panama has suffered severely from 
fires. It was almost entirely destroyed in 1737, but was quickly rebuilt, 
as its business was then prosperous. In 1784 there was another serious 
fire, and since 1864 there have been three extensive conflagrations whose 
traces are still visible. The gaps around the plaza are the result of these 
later disasters. 

"We crossed the plaza and continued on to the Postigade las Monas, 
or ' Gate of the Monks,' which is crowned by a watch-tower, and leads 
through the ruined wall to the beach. A woman and child were sitting 




RUINS OF CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO. 



under the shadow of the gateway, and people were coming and going, on 
foot or in the saddle. When we reached the beach the tide was out and 
there was a large expanse of coral reef visible ; it was alive with crabs, 
shrimps, cuttle-fishes, and other marine products, and we picked up lots 
and lots of shells of curious form and color. It is a splendid place for 
conchologists, and if the sun had not been so hot we would have stayed 
there an hour or two. 



THE CHURCH OF SAN DOMINGO. 



63 



" We came back through the gateway, and met one of our late com- 
panions of the train. He took us to see the ruins of the Church of San 
Domingo, which was built soon after the founding of the city, and burned 
more than a hundred years ago. In its time, it was the finest church in 
Panama, and was said to possess a great store of silver and gold images 
and other treasures. 




A REMARKABLE ARCHWAY.S, 



" Dr. Bronson was anxious to see a remarkable arch which was said to 
exist in the ruins of the church, and our friend offered to point it out. 
We passed among the walls, which were thickly overgrown with vines and 
bushes, and finally came to the archway. It is forty feet long, and has a 
perpendicular radius at the keystone of only two feet ; it is made of brick, 
and is said to be a wonderful piece of work. Our friend said he had never 



64 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



heard of anything like it, and that many architects passing through 
Panama in the last twenty years had seen and admired it. 

" Some of the bells of the church were lying where they fell at the 
time of the fire, and others were hung upon timbers a few feet from the 
ground, where they could be rung as in the olden time. Our guide told 
us an interesting story about the way these bells were made and given to 
the church. 

" Soon after Panama was founded, the Queen of Spain invited the 
ladies of her court to come and bring whatever money they could afford, 
for the founding of the Church of San Domingo. She gathered a large 
amount, which was used for building the church. When the time came to 
prepare the bells, people of all classes were invited to make donations, 
and witness the operation of casting. They came in great crowds ; the 
queen threw in handfuls of gold, the ladies and gentlemen of the court 
did likewise ; the poor contributed silver or copper, and so the amount of 
metal in the crucibles increased. Then the queen threw in the golden 
ornaments that she wore ; her ladies did the same; the excitement became 
great ; rings, bracelets, and other valuables — many of them precious relics 
or family heirlooms — were contributed to the pious work, and thus the 
bells for the church in the New World were made. Their tone was said 
to be of the purest, and they are held in great reverence by the priests 
who have them in charge. High prices have been offered for these bells, 
but invariably refused." 




RUINED CHURCH. 



THE BAY OF PANAMA. 



65 



CHAPTER IY. 

"THE PLACE OF FISH."— AN EXCURSION TO OLD PANAMA.— VISITING A HERMIT- 
DRINKING CHICHI. — RUINS OF THE CITY. — MORGAN THE BUCCANEER. — HIS 
HISTORY AND EXPLOITS.— HOW HE CAPTURED PANAMA. 

FEOM the ruins of the church the youths and their companions 
strolled to the ramparts of the city, where they watched the sunset 
gilding the distant hilltops and lighting up the waters of the beautiful 




VIEW FROM THE RAMPARTS OF PANAMA. 

Bay of Panama. The wall is here enlarged into a wide promenade, which 
overlooks a level space containing the arsenal, the military barracks, and 
the prisons of the city government. The Esplanade is the favorite loung- 
ing-place of the people at the close of the day, and our friends had an 

5 



66 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



excellent opportunity to study the local dress and manners. Nobody 
appeared to be in a hurry, and there was a tendency to divide into groups 
and couples, very much as in other lands and under other skies. Some 
sauntered slowly up and down the promenade, while others leaned over the 
parapet, or reclined on the grass which covered a considerable part of the 
Esplanade. Ships and steamers were anchored in the distance, while the 
foreground of the bay was dotted with native boats, which seemed to be 
drifting aimlessly in the gentle breeze. Altogether, the picture was de- 
lightful, a nd lone: to be remembered. 




ON THE NORTHEASTERN BEACH. 



On the next morning our friends were up early for an excursion to 
Old Panama, which we have already mentioned. As we drew on Frank's 
note-book for the modern city, we will rely upon Fred for our information 
about the ancient one. 

" We had a delightful ride on horseback," said Fred ; " leaving Panama 
by the northwestern gate, which brought us to the fish-market on the 
beach. To judge by what we saw, Panama is justly named 'a place of 
fish,' as there seemed to be a supply three times as large as could possibly 
be wanted for the use of the inhabitants. There were Spanish mackerel, 



RUINS OF OLD PANAMA. (J7 

oysters, bonito, and a good many other fishes, and all of the very best 
quality, with the possible exception of the oysters. We asked if these 
oysters were the ones from which pearls are obtained, and they told us 
the pearl-fisheries were about a hundred miles down the bay, and the oys- 
ters not at all like those sold in the market. There was formerly a fine 
revenue from the pearl-fisheries, but the beds are practically exhausted, 
and of late_years very little attention has been given to the business. 

"From the market we galloped along the beach for a couple of miles, 
and then turned inland. We came out to the shore again, after winding 
among rocks and thick foliage, and followed along the bay till we reached 
the ancient city. 

"Everything is in the most complete ruin; what was left by Morgan 
has been vigorously attacked by the tooth of time. And I remark, by the 
way, that the tooth of time is much more effective in its work in the tropics 
than in the colder north, where the vegetation is less rapid and aggressive. 
Walls and towers are so overgrown with mosses and creepers that, in many 
instances, the structures are completely hidden from sight, and their posi- 
tions are only indicated by their shape. Seeds carried by the birds, or 
wafted by the winds, fall into crevices between the stones ; they are 
warmed into life by the temperature, and nourished by the moisture that 
prevails at all seasons of the year. They grow and flourish in spite of the 
inconveniences of their position, and after a time they force the stones 
apart, and the structure is weakened, and hastened to its overthrow. 

" Everywhere in Old Panama you can see evidences of this great force 
of nature. Much of the stonework of the city has been thrown down by 
the roots of the trees and plants, and in several places we saw stones of 
great weight resting entirely upon the roots of the trees that had lifted 
them up. Evidently the city was built to last, and it is a sad commentary 
upon the work of its founders that it was so soon destroyed. The walls 
were massive, and the stones carefully cut. The old Spaniards came to 
America to plant colonies, and make a permanent home, if we may judge 
by the way they constructed this important city, which was intended to 
command the commerce of the Pacific seas. 

" One of the most interesting relics of Old Panama is the watch-tower 
of San Jerome, which is said to have been built only six years before the 
city's capture and destruction. It is a square tower, and we estimated its 
height to be about eighty feet; it is covered with mosses and vines, and 
there are trees and bushes growing on its top. The staircase on the inside 
lias been thrown down by the roots of the trees, as far as we could judge 
from the position of the stones, though it may have been destroyed by the 



68 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

famous buccaneer. The whole of the inside space was full of roots, and 
we could not have climbed to the top even if the stairs had remained. 




WATCH-TOWER OF SAN JEROME. 



A TROPICAL HERMIT. 



69 



" The tower was intended as a signal-station, from which vessels ap- 
proaching Panama could be descried, and tradition says a light was burned 
there at night. It is now the only visible part of the old city as you look 
from, the beach or from a boat on the water ; everything else is covered up 
with the tropical forest, which has been undisturbed for two hundred 
years. The only w T ay to see the ruins is by clambering through the mass 
of vegetation ; we did so, and were thoroughly wearied with our exertions, 
though amply repaid for them. 

"Not the least interesting part of the sights were the fantastic shapes 
which the trees and vines had taken ; in some places the trees were on the 
tops of walls thirty or forty feet high, and had thrown down roots on each 
side reaching into the ground. At every crevice in the walls little twigs 
were thrown off to hold the roots in place, and it almost seemed as though 
these vegetable growths had been endowed with human intelligence. Two 
or three times we were deceived by the appearance of the roots, and mis- 
took them for snakes. Even when assured of their harmless character, 
Frank paused and deliberated before moving nearer, and I'm free to con- 
fess that I followed his example. 

"We w 7 ere accompanied on our excursion by a gentleman who lives in 
Panama, but had not been in the old city for two or three years. He said 
the place had two or three inhabitants, or, rather, there were that number 
of negroes who lived there, and acted as guides to visitors. With some 
difficulty he found the hut of one of them, and luckily for us its owner 
was at home. His only clothing was a strip of cloth around the waist 
and a pair of sandals on his feet, and the entire furniture of the place 
would have been dear at ten dollars. He had a few baskets and earthen 
jars, an old hammock, a rough bench to sleep on, an iron pot for cooking 
purposes, and a pair of rollers for crushing sugar-cane. He had a small 
patch of sugar-cane, another of bananas ; the bay supplied him with fish, 
the beach afforded plenty of oysters, shrimps, and mussels, and the money 
obtained from visitors was enough for buying his tobacco and a few other 
trifles which made up the sum of his necessities, and were procured in a 
semi-annual trip to Panama. He declared that he was perfectly satisfied 
with his way of life, and as he had been there for twenty years and more, 
I have no doubt he spoke the truth. 

"A prince in his palace could not have been more polite than -was this 
dark-skinned hermit. He had no chairs to offer, but asked us to sit down 
on his bench ; we accepted the invitation, and after handing us a gourd of 
water, which we found very refreshing, lie put on his hat in order to be 
more fully dressed. Then, with true Spanish politeness, he told us that the 

5* 



70 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



house and all it contained were ours, but we couldn't see that we should 
have been much richer if we had taken him and his belongings at his 
word. We rested perhaps a quarter of an hour, talking with him about 
his solitary life, and then asked him to guide us through the old city. 

" ' Si, Senores] he replied, touching his hat in a most dignified man- 
ner, 'but would we drink some chichi before starting.' 




A HERMIT AT HOME. 



" Chichi is the juice of the sugar-cane, and is a favorite beverage in 
this region ; of course we consented, and he immediately picked up his 
machete (hatchet) and went out. In a little while he returned with an 
armful of sugar-cane, which he proceeded to pass through the rollers, after 
first bruising the canes with a mallet to make the work of crushing easier. 
Our Panama friend took one end of the machine, and got himself into 
quite a perspiration before the job was finished ; I fancy he did not relish 



THE JUICE OF THE SUGAR-CANE. 



n 



it, but our entertainer did not seem to mind it in the least. The machine 
was a rude construction, and not to be compared with the polished rollers 
that are to be found in sugar-manufactories on a large scale, but it was 
entirely adequate to the wants of our sable host. 




MAKING CHICHI. 



" We drank the chichi, which was most refreshing, and then were 
shown through what is left of the city. Here and there we found por- 
tions of paved streets, and it was only by following the lines of the streets 
that we were able to get around at all. Then there were two or three 
groves with very little undergrowth, which are thought to have been pub- 
lic squares ; evidently they were not paved, but macadamized, and trodden 
so hard that the undergrowth has obtained no hold, though the trees have 
not been so easily restrained. Our guide showed us a bridge over a 



72 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




BKIDGE AT OLD PANAMA. 



stream in the southern part of the city; it is called the Punta de Em- 
barcadero, and is said to have been the point where boats came to dis- 
charge or receive their cargoes, and the stream it crosses is about thirty 
feet wide. It is full only at high tide, and is more an arm of the sea 
than a flowing river. The bridge is of hewn stone, and was constructed 
with a single arch. 

" When we had finished our wanderings among the ruins we went 



MORGAN THE BUCCANEER. 73 

back to the hut, drank some more chichi, then mounted our horses, and 
returned to modern Panama by the way we went. We were thoroughly 
tired, but we voted unanimously that the day was well spent." 

The excursion to Old Panama naturally roused the curiosity of the 
youths to know something of Morgan the buccaneer, and his exploits. 
The readers of this narrative may have a similar interest in the events of 
two hundred years ago, and we will briefly give them. 

The rumors of the abundance of gold in the New World, which 
reached Spain after the discovery of America by Columbus, led to the 
conquest and settlement of the islands of the West Indies, and also of the 
mainland for a considerable distance north and south of the Isthmus. 
Within the fifty years following the first voyage of Columbus many 
colonies were planted, forts were built, soldiers were brought out in great 
numbers, and many ships laden with treasure were sent home from the 
New World. The stories grew with each repetition, and in a little while 
it was currently believed that there was sufficient gold in the cities of 
Mexico, Peru, and the other countries of South and Central America to 
enrich the entire population of Europe. 

The Spanish conquerors were relentlessly cruel, and subjected the 
rulers and people of the conquered countries to all manner of tortures, in 
order to obtain their gold. The rumors of the vast treasures of the New 
World passed beyond Spain and reached England and France. Piracy 
was fashionable in those times, and it was not long after the Spanish 
treasure-ships began to traverse the ocean that the waters of the Carib- 
bean Sea were thronged with piratical craft. Their crews were known as 
buccaneers, freebooters, pirates, or sea-robbers, and one name is as good 
as another. We will follow the example of the old historians and call 
them buccaneers, out of respect for their descendants, who dislike the 
word "pirate." 

They had plenty of hiding-places among the islands and along the 
coast of the mainland, and their numbers increased so rapidly that thev 
formed colonies, tilled the soil, and in many cases established something 
like local government, though it was not always very orderly. In some 
of their colonies the more peaceably inclined buccaneers lived on shore, 
raised crops, hunted for wild cattle or other game, and not infrequent- 
ly they brought their families from the Old World or found wives 
among the natives. The rest of the community roved the seas in search 
of plunder, returning occasionally to the colony to refit their vessels, and 
deliver their proper share to the settlers on land, from whom provisions 
were obtained. 



74 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Sometimes prisoners were brought to the colonies and kept as slaves, 
but this was not the general practice, as it was not altogether safe ; an 
escaping slave might reveal the rendezvous of the buccaneers, and, in spite 




SLAUGHTER OF PKIESTS BY BUCCANEERS. 



of the greatest vigilance, escape was possible. Consequently, it was the 
custom to release prisoners on payment of a heavy ransom, or to sell them 
to be carried into slavery, where they could do no harm to their captors. 



THE BUCCANEERS AND OTHER ROBBERS. 



75 



If they could not be disposed of in either of these ways, or made useful 
in some manner, they were generally put to death. Sometimes a chief 
released his prisoners unconditionally, and without obtaining anything for 
them, but such action was not favorably received b} 7 his followers, as they 
considered it a loss of property and an indication of weakness totally in- 
appropriate to his proper character. Human life was held at little value 
in those days, not only by freebooters, but by kings and princes in all 
parts of the world. 

After all, there was little difference between the buccaneers, or pirates, 
and the people against whom their exploits were directed. Cortez, Bal- 
boa, Pizarro, and other leaders in the Spanish conquest of the ~New 
"World were simply the heads of legitimate marauding expeditions, di- 
rected against the inhabitants of the countries they invaded. The bucca- 




PIRATES' RENDEZVOUS. 



76 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



neers endeavored to rob these legalized marauders ; they stole what had 
been already stolen, and their thievery was directed against thieves. They 
adopted the same practices of torture and cruelties that had been used to 
extort gold from the rulers and people of the conquered countries ; the 
buccaneers felt that the condemnation of their practices was unjust, and 
their sensibilities were wounded when they saw- that the conquerors of 
the New World were sustained and honored by their king, whose treasury 
was enriched by their plunderings. 




BUCCANEERS EMBARKING ON AN EXPEDITION. 



Sometimes there was a period of war between Spain and England, and 
then the king of the latter country would give commission to a well- 
known buccaneer, and exalt him to the dignity of a privateer. He was 
to fit out an expedition at his own expense, enlist his own men, and do 
pretty much as he pleased ; in return for the royal protection he was to 
give a certain part of his gains into the king's treasury ; though quite 
often this condition was not exacted, since the destruction of the enemy's 
commerce was considered a sufficient compensation for his commission. 
This was the character of Morgan's" enterprise against Panama. 

Morgan had obtained an excellent reputation as a buccaneer; he had 



MORGAN'S CRUELTIES. 77 

captured several cities, murdered many people, often under circumstances 
of great cruelty, and had been almost universally successful in his expedi- 
tions. Priests, women, and children were indiscriminately slaughtered 
along with his other prisoners, when they could not find a market as 
slaves ; and the stories of his barbarities would fill a volume. At one 
time he had two thousand men and a fleet of thirty-seven ships under his 
command. His piracies were directed against the Spaniards ; the English 
looked upon his performances with a kindly eye; and when he organized 
his expedition which ended with the capture of Panama the governor of 
Jamaica ordered an English ship of thirty-six guns to assist him, and gave 
him authority to act in English interest. There was a French ship in 
the harbor of Jamaica, also carrying thirty-six guns, which Morgan de- 
sired ; and he soon found reason enough, to his mind, for her capture. 

A short time before, this French ship had stopped an English vessel 
at sea and taken provisions from her without paying for them. Morgan 
made this a pretext for seizing her ; accordingly, he invited her officers 
on board the English ship and there made them prisoners. Then he 
seized their craft, but, unfortunately for his plans, she blew up a few hours 
afterwards and was totally destroyed. It was not known how the acci- 
dent occurred, but Morgan said it was caused by the French prisoners, 
who set the ship on fire. 

The fleet sailed away a week after this incident and proceeded to 
capture Maracaibo, Saint Catherine's, and one or two other places, before 
proceeding to Panama. From Saint Catherine's Morgan sent four ships 
to capture the fort at the month of the Chagres River; the expedition 
was successful, and when Morgan arrived and saw the English flag flying 
over the fort he fired all his cannon in honor of the victory. When he 
landed he was carried into the fort on the shoulders of his fellows amid 
many demonstrations of delight. 

An old nursery song has it that "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a 
thief." Substitute "Morgan" for "Taffy" and the description is exact, 
as the hero of this story was born in Wales. Many of his followers were 
from that country or from other parts of the British Isles, and his second, 
who captured the fort at Chagres, was Captain Brodely, an officer of 
English birth. 

Morgan repaired the fort, gave it a garrison of five hundred men, left 
a hundred and fifty to take care of the ships, and with twelve hundred 
men started across the Isthmus for Panama. They ascended the Chagres 
River in boats as far as they could go, and then marched overland 
through the forest. All the boats but one were sent back ; a guard 



78 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




morgan's reception at chagres. 



remained with this single boat, with orders never to leave it for a 
moment. 

The journey to Panama was a terrible one, and showed the power of 
the commander over his men. They had expected to find plenty of pro- 
visions in the country, and consequently did not burden themselves with 
any on their departure from Chagres. At the first landing-place they 
found the people had fled, leaving nothing behind them, and this was the 
case at nearly every other point. For three entire days the men were 
without food, and many of them' wanted to turn back ; partly by persua- 
sion and partly by threats Morgan kept them together, though they were 
so much reduced that they were forced to eat some leather sacks found at 
an abandoned plantation on the way. 

The manner of preparing this food is interesting, but it is to be hoped 
none of our readers will ever be obliged to put it in practice. Some of 



A FRUGAL REPAST. 



79 



the men devoured the leather raw, cutting it into small pieces, and swal- 
lowing it with water. Others, more fastidious, cut it into strips, moistened 
it with water, and then rubbed it between two stones until it was flexible. 




MORGAN'S MEN DINING ON LEATHER. 



Then they scraped off the hair with their knives and broiled the strips 
over the fire. When the leather was thoroughly done it was cut into 
small pieces and washed down with water. After this frugal meal the 



80 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



men fasted two days, till they reached a plantation where they found a 
storehouse full of corn. All order and discipline were lost until the 
fellows had eaten all they wanted and loaded themselves with as much as 
they could carry. When they were assembled again they cheered their 
commander, and shouted " To Panama /" 




DEATH OF THE INDIAN CHIEF. 



Their plenty did not last long, as they soon encountered a small force 
of Indians who had been sent out to intercept them. The men threw 
away their loads of corn and prepared to fight. The battle was a short 
one, as the Indians were overpowered by the superior weapons of the 
buccaneers, though the latter lost several of their number. The chief of 
the Indians fought bravely, and thrust a spear through one of his assail- 
ants before they succeeded in conquering him. 



IN SIGHT OF THE CITY. 



81 



They were starving again, but as they came near Panama they found 
a herd of cattle, which supplied excellent material for food. Here Morgan 
ordered a halt till the men were fed, and their strength was restored ; the 
camp was full of joy at the prospect of a speedy termination of their suf- 
ferings, and on the next morning the attack was ordered ; the invaders 
had seen the city from the "Hill of the Buccaneers," and were now in 
front of it. 




MOVING THROUGH THE FOREST. 



§2 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IX SOUTH AMERICA. 

Morgan captured some Indians, and forced them to act as guides, under 
the penalty, often exacted in war, of being shot if they gave false informa- 
tion. Morgan had ordered the march to be taken directly to the city, but 
his guides told him the road was lined with artillery, and the whole 
Spanish force was concentrated there. Satisfied that the information was 
correct, he turned into the forest, and endeavored to move to the right 
without being discovered. The Spanish commander found out what the 
buccaneers were doing ; he could not move his artillery, but he marched 
his soldiers, and drew them up on the open plain in front of the position 
for which his assailants were aiming. 

When the invaders came in view of the plain they found three thou- 
sand soldiers ready to meet them, while their own number was little over 
a thousand. They were disheartened with the prospect, but Morgan told 
them it would be certain death in the wilderness to turn back, while a 
well-fought battle would give them the city with all its riches. Thus 
doubly induced, they determined to fight ; the battle was begun by the 
buccaneers, and, certainly to the surprise of the Spaniards, it resulted in the 
dispersal of the defenders, and the possession of the city by Morgan and 
his followers, within three hours after firing the first shot. 

The buccaneers plundered the churches and the houses of the mer- 
chants, and they tortured many of the priests, and other inhabitants, to 
compel them to tell where their treasures were concealed. In anticipation 
of disaster, much of the treasure of the churches, and also of the wealthi- 
est merchants, had been sent on board a ship which sailed for Spain a few 
hours after the surrender of the citj\ It might have been captured with 
ease, but a party which Morgan had sent to intercept any departing vessel 
did not do their duty, and so the richest of all the prizes slipped through 
their hands. 

Morgan and his party remained in Panama for three weeks, and then 
returned to Chagres. Before leaving they burned the city, and carried 
away six hundred prisoners, and one hundred and seventy -five beasts of 
burden laden with plunder. The division of the spoils was made at Cha- 
gres ; it amounted to only two hundred dollars apiece, very much to the 
disappointment of the men. Morgan was openly accused of keeping very 
much more than belonged to him ; the accusations became so serious as to 
threaten open revolt; and Morgan secretly embarked for Jamaica, and 
sailed away, with two ships besides his own. 

He reached Jamaica in safety, and as the war between England and 
Spain was then over, his occupation as a legal freebooter was at an end. 
His services were promptly recognized by the British government, and he 



84: 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



was appointed a marine commissary, and knighted by King Charles II. 
It is to be hoped that he led a less disreputable life as Sir Henry Morgan 
than when he was simply known as Morgan the buccaneer. 

A curious incident is narrated by Morgan's biographer in the account 
of the capture of Chagres. The fort was surrounded by a palisade which 
the assailants repeatedly tried to set on fire, but each time failed. Just as 
they were about to give up the attack and retire, an arrow from the fort 
passed completely through the body of one of their number and protruded 




THE LUCKY ARROW. 



from his breast. The man was mad with pain; he seized the arrow and 
pulled it through, then wrapped it with cotton, rammed it into his gun, 
and fired it back again at the fort. The powder ignited the cotton, and 
this in turn set fire to the leaves with which the fort was thatched. The 
Spaniards were so busy in beating back their assailants that they did not 
discover the fire until too late to stop it. The flames spread to a barrel of 
powder, which blew a great hole in the side of the fort, and made an en- 
trance for the buccaneers ; meantime they took advantage of the confusion 
to open the palisade, and soon had the fort in their possession. 



A SAIL ON THE BAY. 



85 



CHAPTER Y. 

FROM PANAMA TO GUAYAQUIL. —VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. — HIS ADVENTURES 
AND DEATH.— SCENES IN GUAYAQUIL.— FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH SOUTH AMER- 
ICAN EARTHQUAKES. 

OUR. friends spent another day in Panama, devoting part of the time 
to arrangements for their departure, and the rest to strolling around 
the city, and taking a short sail on the ba}\ They visited the island where 




BAY OF PANAMA, FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN RAMPART. 

the Pacific Mail Steamship Company has its coaling-station, and its wharves 
for receiving and discharging freight, and saw the docks where ships need- 
ing repairs can be accommodated. Fred made the following notes con- 
cerning the steamship connections from Panama : 



86 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" There are two American lines of steamers running northward to 
California, and to Mexican and Central American ports, and there are 
English, French, German, Chilian, and Peruvian lines reaching to all the 
ports of the west coast of South America. The most important of all 
these lines are the Pacific Mail (American), running northward, and the 
Pacific Steam Navigation Company (English), running to the south. 
When the Isthmus route was the favorite way of travel between the 
Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States there were sometimes two. 
or three American lines between Panama and California, but at present 
there is onl} 7 one. 




IBS- ~ - **" 






« '■>; 





COAST SCENE BELOW PANAMA. 



"There was formerly a line between Panama and Australia, but it was 
discontinued long ago, and a line from here to the Sandwich Islands, Japan, 
and China has been talked of, but never established. When the Panama 
Canal is completed it is probable that the business of this port will be 
greatly increased, and the number of daily arrivals and departures will far 
exceed those of the most active times of the ' rush ' for California." 

Dr. Bronson and the youths left the hotel about two o'clock in the 



TRICKS OF CALIFORNIA TRAVELLERS. 



87 



afternoon, and proceeded to the dock whence the tender was to carry them 
to their steamer. The ships of the Pacific Steam Navigation Company 
run in connection with the Royal Mail Line from England to Aspinwall ; 
the arrival of the English steamer at Aspinwall had been announced by 
telegraph, and the train with the passengers and mails was due in Panama 
about half-past two. While they were seated on the tender, and engaged 
in studying the beautiful panorama of the bay, the whistle of the loco- 
motive was heard, and soon the train rolled into the station, and its burden 
was transferred to the boat. The passage to the steamer was quickly made, 
and by four o'clock the great craft was on her southerly course. 

As our friends leaned over the rail, Dr. Bronson gave the youths some 
reminiscences of the old days of California travel. 

"On the voyage from New York to Aspinwall," said he, "passengers 
became pretty well acquainted with each other; and it generally happened 
that there were some practical jokers among them, who indulged in tricks 
for creating amusement. One of the standing jokes of the departure from 
Panama was, to create alarm among those who were making the voyage 
for the first time, by spreading a report that they had embarked on the 
wrong steamer, and were being carried to Callao." 

"How could they do that?" Fred inquired. 




CAVE NEAR LIMON RIVER. 



gg THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

" By looking at the map, you will see that the Bay of Panama is en- 
closed between the mainland and the Peninsula of Azuero, the latter ex- 
tending to the southward about seventy-five miles; consequently a steamer 
o-oino- to California must proceed in that direction, until she can turn the 
point of the peninsula. Most of the novices were not aware of this ; the 
rumor was started, and, if incredulous, they were told to look at the com- 
pass and be convinced. The compass corroborated the assertion of the. 
jokers, and many a traveller was seriously disturbed in mind until the joke 
was explained." 

" He was probably more careful in his study of geography after that 
experience," Frank remarked. 

"Sometimes," continued the Doctor, "the California steamers sailed 
at the same time as the ships of the English line for South America, and 
occasionally there was an international race as long as their courses were 
nearly the same. The routes diverge very soon, so that the races were , 
brief, but, with a large number of passengers on board of each steamer, 
there would be great excitement while the competition lasted, and much 
money was wagered on the result. On one occasion, owing to the careless- 
ness of somebody, one steamer ran into another, but no serious damage 
was done ; at another time a steamer hugged the shore too closely in order 
to shorten her running distance and get an advantage over her rival. 
These accidents called attention to the racing, and the managers of the 
different companies issued a very stringent order against any more trials 
of speed. I have not heard of a repetition of these affairs for a good 
many years, and there is rarely any opportunity for rivalry, if we may judge 
by the time-tables of the various lines running from Panama. When 
steamers are to leave on the same day there is generally an hour or two 
between their departures, and the later one does not attempt to over- 
haul her predecessor." 

As the great ship moved steadily through the blue water of the Bay 
of Panama our young friends regarded with close attention the beautiful 
panorama that passed before their eyes. The land was on both sides of 
their course, the peninsula on the right, and the mainland of South 
America on the left ; the horizon to the eastward was filled with the chain 
of the Cordilleras, which increase in height farther to the south, and form 
the lofty line of the Andes. One of the passengers who was familiar with 
the coast indicated to our friends the Gulf of San Bias, and other inden- 
tations which have come into prominence during the discussions about an 
interoceanic canal, and a good deal of geographical knowledge was im- 
bibed in the first few hours of the voyage. 



THE DISCOVERER OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



89 



The Bay of Panama is about one hundred and ten miles long, and its 
width at the mouth is a little more than that distance. The course of the 
steamer carried her away from the peninsula, and before they had been 
long under way the latter was only dimly visible. It vanished with the sun, 
and by the following morning was far behind them. The placid waters 
of the Pacific Ocean filled the horizon, south, north, and west, but the 
mountains on the east were in full view. Smoke issuing from some of 
these mountains showed that they were volcanic, and the youths readily 
understood that they were approaching the region of eruptions and earth- 
quakes. 

Guayaquil, in Ecuador, was the first stopping-place of the steamer, 
four days from Panama. Frank suggested that it was a good time to 
refresh their memories, or add to their knowledge, of the history of this 
part of the world; Fred agreed with him, and thought they would do 
well to begin with Yasco Nunez de Balboa, the discoverer of the Pacific 




VASCO NUNEZ DE BALBOA. 



Ocean. The Doctor gave his approval, and the principal part of the 
second day at sea was devoted to that enterprising explorer. While Frank 
read from Balboa's biography, Fred took notes of the most important 
parts of the story, which were as follows : 



90 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Yasco Nunez de Balboa was a Spanish nobleman, who dissipated his 
fortune, and ran away from home to avoid imprisonment for debt. He 
was born in 1475, and sailed for the New World soon after the return of 
Colnmbus from his fourth voyage. 




BALBOA CARRIED ON SHIPBOARD. 



"In 1510, Martin Fernandez De Enciso sailed for the colony of Car- 
thagena, which had been established a few years earlier. He found in its 
harbor a brigantine which contained the remnants of a colony established 
farther down the coast, but abandoned in consequence of the hostility of 
the natives and the difficulty of procuring food. The leader of this party 
was Francisco Pizarro, whose name is known to every reader of South 
American history, in connection with the conquest of Peru. 

"After a short delay in Carthagena, Enciso sailed for St. Sebastian, 
accompanied by Pizarro's brigantine. An hour or two before the vessel 
was to leave port some men brought a cask on board, and it was lowered 
into the hold with the rest of the provisions. When the ship was fairly 
out at sea the end of the cask was pushed out, and, instead of edibles for 
the crew, there appeared the form and figure of a man ! 

"The man was Balboa, who had been living in Carthagena. He had 
so loaded himself with debts in his new home that his creditors were 
about to arrest him and lie was closely watched to prevent his running 



AN UNEXPECTED" PASSENGER. 



91 




BALBOA MAKES HIS APPEARANCE. 

away. He determined to sail with Enciso, and caused himself to be 
headed up in a cask and carried on board in the manner described." 

Frank and Fred had a hearty laugh over this part of the story. One 
of them asked the Doctor if this mode of travel was in fashion at the 
present time. 

"Nut often," was the reply, "but it is sometimes practised by those 



92 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

who wish to do exactly like Balboa, escape from their creditors. I have 
known of a man being carried on board a steamer at New York in a 
large trunk, which was ostensibly the baggage of his wife, and there have 
been instances of criminals escaping from prison by being shut up in 
boxes and carried out as merchandise. 

" In the days of slavery the friends of freedom used to assist slaves to 
escape from bondage in a variety of ways. One of the favorite modes 
for a fugitive to cross the line from south to north was to be shut up in a 
box and sent as a freight or express package. I once knew a negro in 
Philadelphia who was sent in this way from Richmond to the Quaker 
City; he was about thirty hours on the way, and almost dead from suffo- 
cation when his prison was opened. Though his conveyance was con- 
spicuously labelled, ' This side up with care !' he was twice left standing 
on his head for two or three hours. His name was Henry Brown ; in 
memory of his adventures, and to distinguish him from other Henry 
Browns, he was ever afterwards known as Henry Box Brown. 

" And now let us return to Balboa," said the Doctor. The hint was 
sufficient, and the narrative was resumed. 

" Enciso was angry at the deception practised by Balboa in securing 
passage as a stowaway, but soon had reason to be glad he had such a bold 
adventurer on his ship. At first he threatened to leave Balboa on a des- 
ert island, but when the latter offered his services and promised to be a 
good soldier the leader relented. Expeditions like those of the Spaniards 
are not made up of the best materials of society, and events afterwards 
proved that Balboa was more than the average adventurer of the six- 
teenth century. 

"On the way to St. Sebastian Enciso's ship ran upon the rocks and 
was lost, with all its cargo, only the crew escaping to the brigantine of 
Pizarro. Enciso did not know where to go; and while he was pondering 
upon the best course to pursue Balboa came before him and said he knew 
of an Indian village on the bank of a river called Darien ; the country 
near the village was fertile, and the natives had plenty of gold. 

" Enciso sailed for the village, which he captured with ease, and com- 
pelled the inhabitants to deliver up fifty thousand dollars' worth of gold 
ornaments. He established a colony there, and forbade any one to traffic 
with the natives for gold, under penalty of death. This arbitrary order 
was opposed by Balboa, who remembered the threat to leave him on a 
desert island; as the followers of Enciso were quite as covetous as their 
leader, the prohibition was easily made the basis of a revolt. 

" Balboa managed matters so well that Enciso was forced to leave for 



BALBOA AND CARETA. 



93 



Spain, while the former became governor, with absolute authority over all 
the colony. He immediately sent Pizarro to explore a neighboring prov- 
ince, but the expedition was unsuccessful ; Pizarro was driven back by 
the Indians, who attacked him in great force. Balboa then headed an 
expedition in person, and while sailing along the cOast lie picked np two 
Spaniards in the dress of natives. They were deserters from another 
colony, and had been living with Careta, the chief of the province of 
Coyba ; they had been kindly treated by this chief, but promptly offered 
to pilot Balboa to his village, which was said to contain great quantities 
of the precious metal desired by the Spaniards. 




VILLAGE ON A RIVER OF DARIEN. 

" Balboa accepted their offer and started for Careta's capital, accom- 
panied by the deserters and one hundred and fifty soldiers. Careta re- 
ceived him kindly, and after a short stay Balboa pretended to leave. In 
the night he attacked the village and made prisoners of the chief, to- 
gether with his family, and many of his people. Careta made peace with 
the Spaniards by giving up a large amount of gold, and offering the hand 
of his daughter in marriage to Balboa. The historians say she had much 
influence over Balboa, and on one occasion saved his life. 



94 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




BALBOA AND THE INDIAN PRINCESS. 



" Balboa promised to help Careta against his enemies, and in compli- 
ance with his promise he took eighty men and went on an expedition 
against Ponca, who was an enemy of Careta, and, what was more to the 
point with Balboa, was said to have a great amount of treasure. iPonca was 
attacked and his village was burned, but the victors obtained very little 
gold. Then they went to the neighboring province of Comagre, whose 
chief was friendly with Careta, and received them kindly. The chief 
came out to meet the strangers and escort them to the village, where he 
gave them food and comfortable lodgings, and did everything he could to 
make their stay agreeable. 

"The people at this village were the most advanced in civilization 
that the Spaniards had thus far found in America. The chief's palace 



A ROYAL MAUSOLEUM. 



95 



was a frame building, four hundred and fifty feet long and two hundred 
and forty wide, and it was divided into numerous apartments for the 
chief and. his family and officers. Underneath it there was a cellar for 
storing provisions, and in one part of the building was a mausoleum, 
where the bodies of the chief's ancestors were preserved. Balboa ex- 
amined this mausoleum, and found that the bodies were first dried by 
fire, to prevent decay, and then wrapped in great quantities of cloths which 
were interwoven with threads of gold. Pearls and pieces of gold were 
fastened around the wrappings, and then the bundles were hung against 
the walls of the room. 

"It did not take long for the Spanish avarice to show itself, and to 
meet it the eldest son of the chief brought four thousand ounces of gold, 
which was distributed among the men, after a fifth of the whole had been 
reserved for the crown. During the division a quarrel arose between two 
of the men, about the weight of two pieces of gold. 

" They drew their swords and were about to fight, when the young 
chief seized the scales and dashed their contents to the ground. 

'"Why do you quarrel about such trash as this?' said he. 'If you 




QUARREL FOR THE GOLJ). 



96 THE. BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

come here for gold, go beyond those mountains, where there is a great sea 
on which sail vessels like your own. The. streams that flow into it are 
tilled with gold ; the people who live on its coast eat and drink from 
vessels of gold.' " 

Balboa was present at this incident ; he had not interfered in the 
quarrel, but when the chief spoke he became interested. He talked long 
and earnestly with the chief, M'ho represented the dangers and difficulties 
of the way, but offered to show it to the adventurer, if he was determined 
to go there. 

" Balboa returned to the colony at Darien to make preparations for 
an expedition to discover the great sea beyond the mountains, and ob- 
tain the gold of the people along its coast. He sent to Spain for the men 
he required for the journey, but after he had waited long and anxiously 
a ship arrived with news that his enemy Enciso had obtained a favorable 
hearing before the king, and was coming back to assume command, while 
Balboa was to be sent to Spain to answer a charge of treason. 

"He determined to make a bold stroke, and Called for volunteers to 
accompany him on the expedition, as he could not expect the men he had 
asked for from the king. One hundred and ninety men volunteered, and 
on the 1st of September, 1513, he sailed with a brigantine and ten ca- 
noes. He reached the dominions of his father-in-law, Careta, near the 
modern village of Careto, about twenty miles from the mouth of the 
Caledonia River, on the route taken by Lieutenant Strain. 

"Here the inland march began. The men toiled over rocks and 
among the thick undergrowth, and suffered from sickness and hunger and 
from the opposition of the Indians. They could not find the young 
chief who had offered to guide them over the mountains, but they capt- 
ured some of the Indians and forced them to show the way. At one 
village the chief called out his men to attack the strangers, but they were 
quickly dispersed by the guns of the Spaniards. The Indians had never 
heard the report of fire-arms,. and were paralyzed at what they believed to 
be thunder and lightning in human hands. 

"Beyond this village w T as a mountain, from whose top the guide as- 
sured Balboa the great ocean was visible. Halting a day for the benefit 
of his sick and wounded, he pushed on till he reached the foot of the 
mountain, and stood there with his faithful followers. There they rested 
until another morning; he ordered every man to be ready to move at 
daybreak and then he lay down to sleep. His example was followed by 
his men; they slept, but he did not, as his mind was too full of what 
the morrow mio-ht disclose to allow of slumber. 



FIRST JOURNEY OVER THE ISTHMUS. 



97 



"At the first sign of day he roused his men, and prepared for the 
inarch. The sick and wounded were left in the camp, and with sixt} r - 
seven followers he pushed forward. It was nearly noon when they 




MARCHING THROUGH THE FOREST. 



emerged from the forest, and stood at the foot of the stony peak from 
which the guide said the sea was visible. Here Balboa ordered his men 
to remain till he had reached the summit ; he wished that his eyes should 

7 



98 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



be the first to look upon the great ocean, of whose existence he still had 
lingering doubts. 

"He reached the summit, and there, spread before him and filling the 
horizon, were the blue waters of the Pacific. Balboa gazed for several 
minutes, in the enthusiasm of his discovery, and then beckoned for his 
followers to join him. 




DISCOVERY OF THE PACIFIC. 



" The men dashed forward, Pizarro among them, and soon were at 
the side of their chief. One of the party was a priest, and as they came 
to a halt he began to chant Te Deum Laudamus ! The chant was taken up 
by the whole band of adventurers, and as soon as it was ended they pro- 
ceeded to build a mound of stones on which they erected a cross, in honor 
of the discovery. 



BALBOA'S RETURN. 



99 



" Balboa then descended the mountain to the shores of the Pacific, 
where he took possession of the waters in the name of his king. He 
attempted to explore the country, but travelled only a short distance 
along the coast; passing through many hardships, he returned to Darien, 
whence he despatched a ship to Spain, bearing the news of his discovery, 
and the ro} r al share of the gold he had taken. 

"Already a new governor had been appointed, and shortly after Bal- 






life (< IBi 



?! 



mat 






1 




CUTTING TIMBER FOR THE SHIPS. 



100 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



boa's messenger had sailed the governor arrived. Balboa was tried on 
the old charges, and acquitted, and he then started to carry out his inten- 
tion of exploring the Pacific. Crossing the mountains, he built vessels on 
the banks of the Valsa River, visited the Pearl Islands in Panama Bay, 
and explored parts of the coast. It was reported that he intended to 
establish a colony on the Pacific Ocean, and set up in opposition to the 
newly appointed Governor of Darien — or, rather, independently of him. 

" The governor summoned Balboa to Darien to meet him in friendly 
consultation, and the latter went, in spite of the advice of his comrades, 
who suspected that official's intentions. The governor arrested him on a 
charge of treason, and went through the form of a trial, which resulted in 




DEATH OF BALBOA. 



Balboa's conviction and condemnation to death. When he was led forth 
to execution a crier preceded him, proclaiming him a traitor to the 
crown. ' It is false !' exclaimed Balboa with great indignation ; ' I have 
sought to serve my king with truth and loyalty, and no such crime as 
treason has ever entered my mind.' 

" Balboa was only forty-one years of age when he perished, the victim 
of the same jealousy and hatred which caused Columbus to be carried in 



THE SEAPORT OF ECUADOR. 101 

chains to the prison where he died. There is no doubt that his career 
was marked by many acts of cruelty, but nothing in his history indicates 
other than the most devoted loyalty to his sovereign and to the country 
of his birth." 

The study of the history of Balboa was followed by a careful inspec- 
tion of the map of the Darien Isthmus, in the effort to determine the 
identity of the mountain from which the Pacific Ocean was. first seen by 
the eyes of a European. The Doctor told the youths that the mountain 
had not been identified, but was thought to lie between the rivers which 
Strain attempted to follow in his explorations for a canal. All the peaks 
in this region are difficult of access, and few of them have been ascended 
by white men. 

The steamer reached Guayaquil on the morning of the fourth day 
from Panama. Our friends secured a boat for themselves and their bag- 
gage, and went on shore immediately; it was their intention to spend a 
fortnight in Ecuador, and then take steamer again to Callao. 

At the landing-place they were beset by beggars, pedlers, guides, and 
donkey-owners, all desirous of receiving tokens of remembrance in the 
shape of money, selling articles of use or uselessness, or otherwise render- 
ing real or imaginary services. All were shaken off in a little while, with 
the exception of the most prepossessing of the guides, who was engaged 
to take them to the hotel and show them around the city. 

A rickety carriage was obtained, but, as it showed signs of weakness, it 
was exchanged at the hotel for one of a more substantial character. The 
streets and the buildings that lined them greatly resembled those of Pa- 
nama, and indicated that the builders of both were of the same nationality. 
The cathedral was visited, but there was nothing remarkable in its appear- 
ance, and a very brief examination sufficed. 

Frank said the most interesting part of the city was the river which 
ran through it; it is called the Guayaquil, and also the Guayas; its name 
has been given to the city, which is really " Santiago di Guayaquil." All 
the provisions for the city are brought in canoes and on balsas or rafts, 
and every morning the river is almost covered with these crafts. They 
were laden with all sorts of things produced in the country — bananas, 
plantains, pineapples, cocoanuts, guavas, melons, oranges, zapotes, man- 
goes, and kindred fruits that grow in the tropics, and there was also a 
goodly array of tropical vegetables. Poultry-dealers were numerous, and 
the fowls with which their cages were tilled kept up a vigorous cackling ; 
there were fish of many varieties, some of them quite new to our young 
friends, who regarded them with much interest. In their eagerness to 



102 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



get about the boatmen frequently ran their craft against those of their 
neighbors, but there was the utmost good-nature, with one or two excep- 
tions. Probably the people find it does not pay to quarrel where the 
climate is so warm, and the effort of getting into a passion is too much 
for e very-day life. 

The city has a population of twenty-five or thirty thousand, and is 
a little more than two degrees south of the equator, consequently it is 
very hot, and quite unhealthy, in spite of the sanitary precautions that 
have been taken by its authorities. The Bay, or Gulf, of Guayaquil has a 




^^-^v ^ '-;,.,-. "x ''*' - : Sv : :// : -Vr '?*"" -■ 



CATHEDRAL OF GUAYAQUIL. 



tide of about twenty feet, so that any accumulation of impurities is pre- 
vented by the great flow of water in and out of the channel every day. 
It has one of the best harbors on the west coast of South America, and 
would have a considerable commerce were it not that the prosperity of 
the country is restricted by earthquakes. 

Our friends found that some of the streets were narrow and crooked, 
but the most of them were comparatively straight, and crossed at right 
angles. They drove past the principal buildings, the governor's resi- 
dence, City Hall, and several churches, and then into the suburbs, where 
they saw some pretty gardens full of tropical flowers. 

As the forenoon advanced the heat increased, and they returned to 
breakfast at their hotel. The table was set on the veranda, which af- 
forded a fine view of the lofty peaks of the Andes. The manager of the 
establishment was a stout and dreamy Spaniard, who went to sleep if his 
attention was not wanted for a minute, but waked immediately when he 



AN ECUADORIAN BREAKFAST. 



103 




STREET SCENE AND RUINS. 



was spoken to. The waiter was of aboriginal descent, and seemed to have 
copied the habits of his master in the matter of deliberation, as he paused 
after each step, as though uncertain about the next. 

They had a breakfast of tortillas, or Spanish griddle-cakes, a chicken 
broiled over the coals, which were still adhering in places, and an omelette 
in which various peppery things were very apparent to the palate. 

When they were nearing the end of their repast, and just as Fred was 



104 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

helping himself to more of the omelette, there was a trembling of the 
floor that brought the youths out of their chairs and caused the Doctor 
to assume an upright position. The movement lasted perhaps a quarter 
of a minute, and then ceased. 

"Take your seats again," said Dr. Bronson, "and finish your break- 
fast. We are in the land of the earthquake, and this is an every-day oc- 
currence." 

He suited the action to his word, and sat down. The youths followed 
his example, and a moment's reflection told them that they ought not to 
be disturbed by such a trifling shake at the very beginning of their South 
American experience. 




IN THE LAND OF THE EARTHQUAKE. 



THE LANDS OF THE EARTHQUAKE. ]Q§ 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE PARADISE OF EARTHQUAKES.— FROM GUAYAQUIL TO QUITO.— A RIDE OVER 
THE MOUNTAINS.— ALL CLIMATES UNITED IN ONE.— THE PLAINS OF ECUADOR. 
— CHIMBORAZO AND COTOPAXI. 

r I^HE incident of the breakfast naturally drew their attention to the 
-*- earthquakes that frequently shake the mountainous parts of South 
America, and render life and property more uncertain than in regions 
which are not subject to these disturbances. 

"Ecuador may be considered the paradise of the earthquake," said the 
Doctor, " though it is not much ahead of Peru and Chili in that respect. 
To give a list of the earthquakes that have destroyed life and property 
in this country since it first became known to the Spaniards would be to 
recite a long series of dates; Guayaquil has been shaken up a great many 
times, but it has suffered less than the capital. Here, at the sea-coast, we 
are somewhat removed from the centre of the disturbance, but by no 
means out of its reach." 

"We will hope," said Fred, "that the violent earthquakes will post- 
pone themselves until our departure." 

Dr. Bronson and Frank emphatically approved Fred's suggestion, and 
the Doctor proceeded with his comments. 

" The central portion of Ecuador," said he, " is at an elevation of sev- 
eral thousand feet, and contains many active volcanoes. The valleys in 
which are the cities and cultivated part of the country are rarely less 
than 6000 feet above the level of the sea, and some of them rise to 
10,000 or 12,000. The highest of the mountains is Chimborazo, 21,422 
feet high; it was for a long time supposed to be the highest mountain 
of America, but modern surveys have shown that it has several superiors. 
It is the sixth in elevation of the chain of the Andes, and these in turn 
are surpassed, in the Old World, by several of the Himalayas. The best 
known of the active volcanoes is Cotopaxi, nearly 19,000 feet high, but 
there are others that rival it in destructive energy. 

"We shall have opportunity to study these volcanoes quite nearly," 



106 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




P| BUB 



5 &WkH0 TS 



THE CENTRAL PART OF ECUADOR. 



continued the Doctor, "as we go to 
Quito and the region around it. 
There does not appear to be any 
danger of an eruption at present, 
and if we allow our minds to be 
constantly filled with dread of a 
catastrophe we shall not enjoy the 
journey. So we'll let the earth- 
quakes take care of themselves, as 
they generally do." 

In the afternoon they arranged 
for the storage of such baggage as 
they did not wish to take with them. 
Trunks were left behind, and the 
whole trio was reduced to light 
marching order, in accordance with 
their custom when making the ex- 
cursions of which we have read 
in " The Boy Travellers in the Far 
East." Toilet bags, with a small 
stock of underclothing, an extra suit 
of clothes for a change in case of 
being drenched with rain, and over- 
coats, rugs, wraps, and blankets, for 
the cold weather at great elevations, 
comprised the equipment for the 
journey to Quito. 

Travellers must carry their own 
bedding and provisions while jour- 
neying in the interior of Ecuador, 
and, in fact, in most of the South 
American countries. This was the 
custom adopted by the old Span- 
iards, and customs change here very 
slowly. Hotels are scarce, and the 
lodging-houses along the road give 
little more than a roof for shelter, 
and sometimes not even that. If a 
man ventures to travel without car- 
rying his own supplies he will often 



A LAND OF BANANAS. 



107 



go hungry ; but, on the other hand, he may be sure of the most uniform 
kindness from the people of the country. They will give him the best 
they have, but very often they have literally nothing to offer. 

The Guayas is navigable by small steamers from Guayaquil to Bodegas, 
a distance of seventy miles. Our friends took passage upon one of the 
steamers plying on the river, and were safely landed at Bodegas after a 
pleasant run of eight or nine hours. Frank recorded in his note-book 
that the river is not a swift one, and flows through a flat country in which 
there is not much of interest beyond the vegetation. "The banks," said 
he, " are lined with groves of bananas and plantains ; the fruit of these 
trees forms an important article of food with the inhabitants, and it is 
no wonder they are not disposed to hard labor when they can supply 
themselves without it. 

" The banana can be eaten raw, but the raw plantain is considered 




LAS BODEGAS, GUAYAS RIVER. 



unhealthy. Both plantains and bananas are cooked in a variety of ways, 
baked, boiled, fried, or roasted ; they can be formed into a paste after 
cooking, and then dried, and in this condition the article can be kept for 
a long time. Humboldt estimated that four thousand pounds of bananas 
can be produced in the same area as thirty-three pounds of wheat or 
ninety-nine pounds of potatoes. They are cultivated with very little 
labor, and there is nothing which the soil produces that gives so great an 
amount of food from a given area of land. If a man will live only on 
bananas he can take things very easily. 



108 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



>'■*&, 



c«-_ 



'X'r ---■ • - ? tB&tf""^- J 



Ar-' 




A HOUSE IN THE TROPICS. 



" In addition to the banana and plantain forests we saw many planta- 
tions where coffee and cacao are grown, and some of them were of great 
extent. Then there were orange and lemon groves, fields of pineapples, 
mango and bread-fruit trees, and great numbers of cocoa palms. There 
were many canoes and balsas on the river; the balsas are nothing bnt 
rafts made of the trunks of the balsa trees. Half a dozen logs are lashed 
together with withes and cords, and braced with cross-pieces of wood so 
that there is no danger of separation. On the top of the raft a flooring 
of bamboos or split palms is laid, and on this flooring they build a hut 
in which the people live, often for weeks at a time. 

" Some of these balsas are larger than others, in consequence of the 
logs being longer and more numerous. The huts on the larger rafts con- 
tain several rooms, and are equipped with conveniences for living quite 
equal to those of huts on shore. There, are places for cooking, coops for 



ANIMAL LIFE ON THE GUAYAS. 



109 



fowls, pens for pigs, and nooks among the rafters where edibles can be 
stored, out of the reach of the four-footed inhabitants. A whole family 
will live comfortably on a balsa, and few of them are destitute of pets in 
the shape of monkeys and parrots. Some of the rafts carried such an 
abundance of monkeys and parrots that it was not easy to say if they 
were not the possessors of the establishment, carrying the men, women, 
and children to a market in Guayaquil. The monkeys and children ap- 
peared on the most familiar terms, and as the latter were unencumbered 
with clothing they were not to be readily distinguished from their tailed 
associates. 

" Balsa wood is as light as cork, and remains a long time in the water 
without any tendency to absorption. The balsa raft was in use long be- 
fore the visit of the Spaniards, and the craft we have seen are probably 
identical with those that 
met the eyes of Pizarro at 
the time of the conquest. 

" Occasionally we saw 
monkeys among the trees 
on the shore, but they evi- 
dently did not like the 
steamer, and were careful 
to keep at a respectful dis- 
tance. There were birds 
of brilliant plumage, but cacao. 

we did not hear a song" 

from one of them ; a gentleman who was our fellow-passenger says that 
most of the birds of this part of the world have no knowledge of music. 
There were plenty of alligators lying on the banks ; we took several shots 
at them, but soon desisted, as we bagged no game, while the alligators 
seemed to enjoy the sport and the waste of our ammunition. Many of 
them were lying with their mouths open, waiting for the flies to settle in 
their throats; when they judged that a sufficient number had assembled 
they suddenly closed their jaws, swallowed the flies that were caught, and 
set themselves for more. They make splendid fly-traps, and Fred suggests 
that they should be introduced into New York and other cities to take 
the place of the many patent machines that are now in use for catching 
flies." 

Down to quite recently the route from Bodegas to Quito was simply 
a mule path; a wagon road has been completed for a part of the way, and 
is ultimately intended to reach the capital. A railway is projected from 




110 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Guayaquil to Quito, but for the present the mule path must be the re- 
liance of travellers. A wagon was obtained, for carrying our friends 
and their baggage to the end of the road which traverses the level coun- 
try up to the foot of the mountains. It was a rickety affair, but served 
its purpose, which is all that can be expected of a wagon under ordinary 
circumstances. 

At the end of the road our friends were deposited in a village which 
is chiefly inhabited by arrieros, or muleteers, and their families, together 
with a sprinkling of other natives more or less interested in the traffic 
passing between the capital and the seaport. The arrieros are a very im- 
portant part of the mountain population of Ecuador, as there is no travel 
or transportation away from the rivers and wagon roads without them. 




AKKIERO AND TRAVELLER. 



Fred made the following note concerning the arrieros, and the jour- 
ney towards Quito : 

"The business is entirely in the hands of the natives or the half- 
breeds, as no genuine Spaniard would consider it high enough for his 
dignity. Some of the arrieros possess many mules, but the most of them 
have but half a dozen, or perhaps ten or twelve, and travel personally with 



TRAVELLING BY MULE-TRAIN. 



Ill 



their trains. The peons, or servants of the arrieros, are likewise of the 
native race, and accustomed all their lives to hardship and toil. Their 
wants are few, as they live on food that can be easily transported ; their 
general outfit for the road is a cotton shirt and trousers, a straw hat, and 
a poncho, or blanket with a hole in the centre, through which the head is 
thrust. This poncho is striped with gay colors, and is very often quite 
attractive to the eye. Each arriero or peon carries his own food, which 
usually consists of a few 7 red peppers, a bag of parched corn, and another 
of barley meal. With this slender nourishment they pass their lives on 
the rough roads among the mountains, and immediately on arriving from 
one hard journey they are ready for another. 

" We were surrounded by half a dozen arrieros at once, and there was 





lifiiB 



4F * , " ;i Jfc' 



%K\->,VI.\-. 



IN HOLIDAY COSTUME. 



no difficulty in making a bargain, as several trains had just arrived from 
the mountains, and were anxious to return. We engaged five mules, 
three for ourselves, and two for our baggage ; the owners endeavored to 
convince us that another animal was needed for the baggage, but as we 
had less than three hundred pounds of it altogether, we were not to be 
convinced. Our arriero promised to be ready to start early the next 
morning, but it was nearly noon before we got away. We tried to hurry 
him, but it was of no use; he was anxious enough before making the 
bargain, but now that it was settled, and competition was out of the way, 
his anxiety had ceased. 

" The baggage was piled on the mules that were to carry it, and when 



112 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



all was ready we mounted our saddle animals. They were not very pre- 
possessing in appearance, and looked as though the mountain journey 
would be too much for them, but they were the best in the train, and we 
concluded to be content with the situation. Mules are considered better 
than horses for this sort of work, as they are surer in their footing, and 
will venture in places where a horse refuses to go. Bulls and donkeys 
are also used here for carrying burdens along the mountain roads, but 
they are not equal to mules. 





A PACK-TRAIN UNDER WAY. 



" We filed out of the village, accompanied by several travellers who 
were going in the same direction, so that altogether we formed a long 
cavalcade. As we ascended the hills the road became very rough, and 
frequently the path was blocked by trains going in the opposite direction. 
In spite of all the good -nature that the arrieros displayed towards each 
other, there were several serious detentions ; we found the donkeys more 
obstinate about holding the track to themselves than the other animals, 
though none of the latter were to be praised for their courtesy. 

" Some of the trains we met were laden with coffee and cacao on its 
way to the seaport, while others carried potatoes, barley, pease, fowls, and 



A DANGEROUS ROAD. 113 

other produce intended for consumption in the country. The people 
were, without an exception, civil and obliging, but they could not always 
induce their beasts to follow their example. Many of the men were ac- 
companied by their wives and daughters, but whether the latter were go- 
ing for a pleasure-trip or formed a part of the working force I am unable 
to say. 

" The road increased in roughness as we advanced; properly speaking, 
it was not a road, but simply a track worn in the rocks by the feet of the 
animals that had travelled there for hundreds of years, and by the water 
that sweeps down in torrents during the rainy season. In some places 
the way was a sort of rocky staircase, and our mules placed their feet in 
steps which had been worn to a depth of five or six inches. It was often 
so steep that if we had not leaned well forward we should have been in 
danger of a backward somersault, and the consequences of such a fall, es- 
pecially if the man should carry his mule with him, are fearful to think of. 

" Accidents are frequent here, and the great wonder is that there are no 
more of them. Fortunately, we did not meet any of the descending trains 
in the most dangerous spots, where the path wound around precipices or 
through narrow defiles ; there are many places where it does not seem 
possible for two animals to pass in safety, and I can well understand that 
there is a foundation for stories about men engaging in fights for the right 
of way. The unprogressiveness of the Spanish people in Ecuador is 
shown by their being content to get along with this kind of road between 
their seaport and their capital city during three centuries ! 

" Night came upon us while we were climbing the hills, and as it is 
very dangerous to travel after dark, we halted where there were a couple 
of rude huts, not sufficient for sheltering our party. The arrieros and 
their peons slept outside with their animals, while the travellers were 
made as comfortable as their blankets would permit on the floor of the 
huts. There was the solid earth to sleep on, and we were relieved from 
monotony by the presence of innumerable fleas. In the morning, each of 
us felt sure he had been bitten at least three thousand times, and Fred 
thought he could count not less than four thousand distinct and well-de- 
fined bites. Fleas are even cheaper than bananas to cultivate and much 
more abundant to the acre ; it is certain they are not destructive to life, 
for if they were there would be no living thing in Ecuador. 

"Before going to bed we supped from some of our provisions, aided 
by a dish of stewed potatoes prepared by the owner of the hut where we 
slept. A favorite dish among the mountaineers is potato stew or soup, 
which is known as locro ; sometimes it is prepared plain, while at others it 

8 



H4 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

contains chicken, beef, or any other obtainable meat. The presence of 
meat adds materially to the dish for European palates, and when well pre- 
pared a dinner of locro is not to be despised. 

" Our surroundings were not conducive to late sleeping, and we were 
off soon after daybreak. The morning was very cold, but as the sun as- 
cended in the heavens the air grew warmer, and we ceased shivering. In 
a little while we reached the summit of a ridge several thousand feet 
above the level of the sea, and had a magnificent view. 

" There was a mist when we started, but it rolled away when we came 
to the top of the sierra; on one side we had the lofty mountains far 
above us, and on the other the country dropped away at our feet till it 
was lost in the distant shore of the Pacific. The great snowy peak of 
Chimborazo was in full view, and we longed to ascend to its summit and 
look out upon the wide stretch of land it commands. One traveller says 
the view from its top would embrace an area of fully ten thousand square 
miles, and I can readily believe him. Nobody has yet been there, and the 
name of the man who first ascends it is destined to be remembered. 

" Humboldt and his companions endeavored, in 1802, to ascend to the 
top of Chimborazo, but were obliged to stop short when they had yet two 
thousand and more feet above them. 

" They were stopped by an immense chasm that stretched across the 
line they were ascending, and by the inconveniences that are generally ex- 
perienced at high altitudes. Blood spurted from their eyes and lips, and 
they breathed with great difficulty. According to barometrical observa- 
tions, Humboldt was within 2138 feet of the summit when he turned 
back. 

" Boussingault and Hall have since ascended to within 1729 feet of 
the top of the giant mountain, by taking a route different from that fol- 
lowed by Humboldt. They experienced the same difficulties in breath- 
ing and in the rush of blood to the lips and eyes ; both of them were 
enfeebled for some time after making the journey, and their experiences 
were altogether such as to deter any but the hardiest of men from at- 
tempting the ascent of Chimborazo. 

"But though we cannot climb to the top of this kingly mountain, we 
may look at it as much as we please, and very beautiful it is in the con- 
templation. It is a sharp cone, sharper and more pointed than Fusiyama 
or Etna, sharper even than Tacoma or Kanier in our own country, and 
sharper again than magnificent Avatcha, the great landmark of Kamt- 
chatka. Its summit is covered with perpetual snow ; it stands within less 
than two degrees of the equator, and the palm groves of the tropics are 



ECUADORIAN SCENERY. 



115 




A MOUNTAIN CASCADE. 



116 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



spread almost at its feet. Eternal winter wraps its head, but eternal sum- 
mer smiles below. Standing where Humboldt stood, all the seasons of 
the year and all climates of the globe may be passed in review. 

" But I'm stopping you on the sierra while telling you about Chim- 
borazo. Well, the mules have had a chance to breathe, and we'll move on. 




BARON VON HUMBOLDT IN 1802. 



" From the top of the sierra we descended the slope to the valley of 
the Chimbo ; the road is steep, and in many places slippery, and more 
than once we thought we would not get down without a serious accident. 
Here and there our mules put their feet together, and slid with a velocity 
that made our hair rise under our hats, and our teeth shut closely together ; 
we shall hereafter have more respect for the intelligence of the mule 
than we ever had before. One of the baggage mules tumbled, and was 



CHINCHONA, OR PERUVIAN BARK. 



117 



pitched together in a heap, but he gathered himself together, and rose 
again as though nothing had happened. 

"We passed many places that reminded us of the northern states of 
our own country ; the valley is elevated eight or nine thousand feet above 
the sea, and the climate is quite unlike that of the region around Guaya- 
quil. Wheat, barley, potatoes, and turnips are cultivated, instead of the 
tropical products which we saw along the banks of the Guayas; at a little 
distance the dwellings of the people have a substantial appearance, but a 
closer acquaintance shows that they are built of mud and are anything 
but attractive on the inside. 

" We stopped for the night at Guaranda, which is on the west bank of 
the Chimbo River, and is said to be a healthy place of residence through- 
out the year. It has a population of about two thousand, but there is 
hardly a decent house in the place. The buildings are low huts of adobe, 
or sun-dried bricks ; the streets are made lower in the centre than at the 
sides, and when the rains fall there is no danger that the foundations of 
the houses will be damaged by water. 

" Dr. IB ron son said that we were in the centre of the region which 
produces the celebrated Chinchona, or Peruvian bark, which has such a 
great reputation in curing fevers. It takes its name from the Countess of 
Chinchon, who was cured of intermittent fever by its use at Lima, about 
the middle of the seventeenth century. It was then taken to Europe, 
and the knowledge of it was spread through the civilized world." 

" Quinine is produced from this bark, is it not?" Frank inquired, when 
Fred read the note quoted above. 




NATIVE HUTS NEAR GUARANDA. 



118 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Yes," replied the latter, " quinine is an alkaloid, made from Peruvian 
bark, and was discovered in 1820. There are several other alkaloids in 
the bark, but none are as important as the one you have just mentioned. 
Any doctor can tell you of its qualities, and a great many people who are 
not doctors are familiar with its uses. 

"No traveller will venture into a malarious region without a good 
supply of quinine, and in some countries it is almost as important to have 
it as to be provided with food." 

Having answered Frank's interrogatory, Fred continued with his ob- 
servations upon the trees that produce the valuable bark. 







AMONG THE LATA BEDS. 



" There are no less than twenty-one varieties of trees producing the 
bark from which quinine is made," said Fred, "but some of the most 
valuable of them are extinct, owing to the reckless way in which they have 
been stripped. The trees grow on the slopes of the Andes, in Peru, 
Ecuador, and other countries; they have been successfully transplanted to 
India, Java, Algeria, and the United States; and the future supply of- 
quinine for a feverish world will probably come from other countries than 
South America. 

" The cascarilleros, or bark-collectors, are obliged to go far into the 
forests in search' of trees, and they suffer many hardships and privations 



DEPARTURE FROM GUARANDA. 



119 



in pursuing their industry. The best of the trees have been destroyed ; 
we asked if we could see one, and were told we must make a journey of 
several days to do so, as none now grow in the neighborhood of Guaranda. 
A gentleman who lives in Quito told us he had seen a chinchona tree 
sixty feet high, and six feet in circumference ; it yielded two thousand 
pounds of green bark, or about one thousand pounds when dry. Another 
tree that he saw gave three thousand dollars' worth of quinine ; but such 
trees are rare. 

" We left Guaranda very early in the morning," Fred continued, "and 
when we jumped into our saddles we could hardly see where they were. 




VIEW OF COTOPAXI. 



120 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



There is a ridge to cross, after getting out of the valley of the Chimbo, 
which it is desirable to pass in the forenoon, as the wind blows violently 
there after the sun has passed the meridian, though it is quiet enough in 
the morning. We crossed the ridge, with the great mountain rising before 
us, and then descended to another valley to the city of Ambato, which has 
nothing in particular to recommend it. 

" To describe the dreary road from here to Quito would be tedious 
reading. It passes through a region of volcanic origin, where the rocks 




VIEW OF QUITO AND THE VOLCANO OF PICHINCHA. 



are piled everywhere in great confusion, vegetation is restricted, and the 
miserable villages of the natives are repulsive in every aspect. It winds 
over hills and ridges, or through valleys and along the banks of streams ; 
it rises in some places ten or twelve thousand feet above the sea-level, and 
nowhere is it less than eight thousand feet in elevation. The latter part of 
the journey is over a wagon road, passing in full view of the volcano of 
Cotopaxi, and crossing a ridge that suddenly brings us in sight of the 
capital city, nestling at the foot of Pichincha, the volcano which more 
than once has threatened to ingulf it in total ruin. 



THE COUNTRY NEAR QUITO. 



121 



" The country improves as we approach Quito. There are farms in 
great number, and the fertile slopes of the hills appear to be well culti- 
vated. Before we reach the ridge which reveals it, we traverse a valley 
that might be made far more productive than it is, and when we come to 
the banks of the Machangara, the river that flows past Quito, we can 
hardly realize that we are nearly two miles up in the air. But it is really 
so, as the elevation of the city is little less than ten thousand feet; and 
people afflicted with pulmonary complaints would do well to stay away 
from it." 




INCA GATEWAY AND FORTRESS IN THE ANDES. 



122 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER VII. 

DESCRIPTION OF QUITO.— VISIT TO THE VOLCANO OF PICHINCHA.— THE DEEPEST 
CRATER IN THE WORLD.— ROUTE OVER THE ANDES TO THE AMAZON— RETURN 
TO THE COAST. 

THE journey from Bodegas to Quito had exhausted the strength of our 
friends, and they were quite willing to rest in the hotel during the 
first evening of their stay in the capital. The time was improved by a 
study of the history of the city, and when they started out the next morn- 
ing they were well stocked with information. 

" Nobody now living can tell how 
old Quito is," said the Doctor; "it 
was founded many centuries ago 
by the Quitas or Quichas, and its 
early history is buried in obscurity. 
According to some traditions it is 
nearly two thousand years old. It 
is positively known to have existed 
about 1000 a.d., when it was capt- 
ured by the Cara nation, who were 
more civilized than the Quitas. 

" About the year 1475 it was 
conquered by Peru, and was made 
the capital ; it retained that honor 
until captured by Pizarro in his 
famous conquest, and the glory of 
Atahualpa, then its ruler, was ex- 
tinguished forever. If you wish 
to know in detail of the romantic 
history and tragic fate of Atahu- 
alpa, the son of Huayna-Capac, 
you can find it in Prescott's ' Con- 
quest of Peru.' " 




CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS. 



PIZARRO AND ATAHUALPA. 



123 



"I remember, in my school history," said Fred, " it was said that 
Atahualpa was imprisoned by Pizarro, and offered to fill with gold the 
room where he was confined, on condition of receiving his liberty. He 
filled the room as agreed, but was afterwards put to death by order of 
Pizarro.'' 




A STREET IN QUITO. 



"The story does not rest on very good authority," said the Doctor; 
" but the conduct reported of Pizarro is quite in keeping with the char- 
acter of the Spanish conquerors of the New World. Pizarro's biographer 
says he was guilty of the greatest cruelties and perfidies in the acquisi- 
tion of gold, but he distributed it freely among his followers, and spent 
most of the vast treasures obtained from the Incas in the erection of pub- 
lic buildings and other improvements for the general benefit. That he 
was a brave man is shown by the fact that the conquest of Peru was 
undertaken, and successfully accomplished, with a force of three vessels, 
one hundred and eighty men, and twenty-seven horses." 

" And all this country was captured with such a mere ' handful of 
men !'" exclaimed Frank. 



124 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Yes," replied Dr. Bronson, " that was the force with which Pizarro 
left Panama, though it was afterwards increased by the arrival of recruits. 
Pizarro received a royal commission from the King of Spain, with a title 
of nobility. His descendants may now be found at Truxillo, in Spain, and 
they point with pride to their great ancestor, whose education was so neg- 
lected that he was unable to read or write. 

" Quito was a more magnificent city under the Incas of Peru than it 
has ever been since the Spanish conquest. The extent of its population is 
not known, but it was certainly larger than to-day. The palace of Atahu- 




PALACIO DE GOB1ERNO (GOVERNMENT HOUSE), QUITO. 

alpa was one of the finest in South America, and its roof is said to have 
been covered with gold. All the gold of the city was seized by the 
Spaniards, and the palace was destroyed. A convent now occupies its site, 
and we will look at its gloomy walls to-morrow. The magnificent Temple 
of the Sun is reduced to a few stones which mark the spot where it 
stood." 

With a running conversation concerning the history of Ecuador the 
evening went on until it was time to go to bed. All retired early, and 
were up betimes to inspect the wonderful city they had toiled so hard to 
see. 



SIGHT-SEEING AT QUITO. 



125 



" We are not in the highest city of the globe," said Fred in his note- 
book, " but we are two thousand feet farther above the sea than is the 
Hospice of St. Bernard, the most elevated spot in Europe which is in- 
habited all the year round. According to our barometers, and those of 
other travellers, we are 9520 feet above the beach of the Pacific Ocean at 
its nearest point, or only 1040 feet less than two miles. 

" Cooking is performed under difficulties, as water boils at 191° Fahren- 
heit ; potatoes, beans, and similar things require much longer time for 
cooking than in the lowlands, and somebody says it is an excellent provi- 
sion of nature that the potatoes are small. Frank suggests that when a 
traveller among mountains has no thermometer or barometer he can ascer- 
tain his elevation by observing how long it takes to boil a potato of a given 
size. 

" We started out of the hotel escorted by a guide who was to show us 
the sights of Quito. The streets are not crowded, and nobody seems to be 
in a hurry ; there are many beggars, and some of them, were very persist- 
ent, as is generally the case with beggars all over the world when stran- 
gers come within their reach. The water-carriers seem to form quite a 
class, and we were forcibly reminded of the same professionals of Cairo. 




WATER-CARRIERS. 



126 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



There was this difference, however, that the latter transport their mer- 
chandise in skins, while those of Quito carry enormous jars on their 
shoulders or backs. They fill these jars at the public fountains, and then 
start off at a slow trot to supply the houses that employ them. We 
met a great many monks and priests, whose calling could be recognized at 
a considerable distance by their peculiar robes and the enormous hats 
which covered their heads. Quito is eminently a city of priests, and is 
liberally provided with churches and convents for its population of forty 
or fifty thousand. 




PRIESTS AND MONKS. 



" Donkeys and mules are the beasts of burden, and occasionally some 
of them brushed against us with their loads, that projected far on each side. 
But they do not have a monopoly of the carrying trade, as we saw a good 
many Indians laden with baskets of vegetables and fruit from the neigh- 
boring country, and they appear to be as strong as the donkeys, if we 
may judge by their great loads. Many of these porters are women, and in 
some instances we saw men, without burdens, walking by the side of 
women carrying baskets large enough to be a load for two persons. Evi- 
dently the aborigines of Ecuador are no believers in the exemption of 
women from hard work. 

'" There is probably little resemblance between the Quito of to-day 
and that of Atahualpa and the Spanish conquest. The city had suffered 
much from earthquakes, and was partially destroyed by fire ; the Spanish 



TRACES OF EARTHQUAKES. 127 

conquerors founded a new Quito in 1534, and laid out the streets on lines 
of their own, and, since their advent, the earthquakes have again shaken it 
to its foundations. There were severe and destructive shocks in 1797 and 
1859, and another in 1868. In the one last mentioned many lives were 
lost, numerous buildings were thrown down, and, according to the official 
report, every house in the city was so shaken and weakened that not one 
was fit to live in. Half a dozen churches, the government buildings, and 
the archbishop's palace were wholly or partially demolished, such of them 
as were not thrown down being so weakened as to render their removal 
necessary. 

" In almost every street there are piles of ruins, and it is a wonder 
people will continue to live here with the effects of the earthquake so con- 
stantly before them. Nearly all the houses are of but a single story, and 
the most ambitious of the edifices rarely exceeds two stories. Most of the 
streets are narrow and have channels in the centre, through which streams 
of water flow during and after a rain. We observed a great variety in 
the costumes of the people, and were told that every district had its dis- 
tinct way of coloring its garments, so that its inhabitants could be dis- 
tinguished from others. Occasionally we saw people with hardly any 
clothing whatever ; but the absence of wardrobe was made up by a free 
use of paint. The natives thus decorated were from the eastern slopes of 
the Andes, but they did not appear to be numerous. 

"The common houses have no fireplaces or chimneys; fires are built 
almost anywhere on the earthern floor, and the smoke is allowed to o-et 
out the best way it can. Even in our hotel the kitchen is little more 
than a dark hole, where the pots and kettles are so indiscriminately as- 
sembled that the cooks a're liable to mix things up fearfully, while pre- 
paring a meal. Neatness is not fashionable, and there is no country in 
the world where the appetite would suffer more discouragement than here 
by a revelation of the culinary mysteries. 

" Our guide called attention to the distinction among the men on the 
streets, some of them wearing cloaks and others ponchos. No gentleman 
would wear a poncho in public any more than a Frenchman of the middle 
or upper classes would don a blouse for a promenade. The poncho is far 
the more picturesque of the two garments, and I am inclined to think its 
wearers are more comfortable than the genteel part of the population. 
Ladies wear the panuelon, which corresponds to the Spanish mantilla, and 
they eschew hats and bonnets altogether. The only head - covering be- 
yond the hair is a lace veil or a fold of the panuelon ; but its use is by no 
means obligatory. It is said that when the daughter of an American 



128 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



minister-resident wore a bonnet in the cathedral on the Sunday following 
her arrival, she was criticised as severely as she would be for wearing a 
masculine ' stove-pipe ' in a New York church. 

"A gentleman who has lived here for some time says there are about 
eight thousand people of Spanish origin in Quito, ten or twelve thousand 
Indians of pure blood, and perhaps twenty thousand cholos, or mixed 
races. Then there are a few foreigners and negroes, and other few who 
cannot be readily classified. The whites are the aristocracy or ruling 
race, and, owing to the numerous revolutions which have reduced the 
male population, women outnumber the men. For a white man to work 
would be degrading, and many a gentleman will not hesitate to beg for a 
dinner or a cup of coffee, though he would scorn to earn the money to 
pay for it. The poverty-stricken hidalgo of Spain is no more proud of 
his lineage than is the Spanish -descended resident of Quito, who wraps 
his tattered cloak around him, and comforts himself with reflections upon 
the past glories of his family. 

" In the course of our wanderings we came to the bank of the river which 
flows past Quito. It is an insignificant stream, ordinarily, but swells to a 
torrent at certain seasons of the .year, when the rains fall in the neighbor- 
ing mountains. Laundresses were at work at their trade, and from the 

way the linen of Quito is washed, 
it is certain to need frequent re- 
newal. The garments are dipped 
in the river, and then spread on 
the rocks, where they are pounded 
with mallets or bowlders until the 
desired condition of cleanliness is 
attained. It reminded us of the 
way the Bengalee dhobies at Madras 
washed our clothing, and accounts 
for the large importation of cot- 
ton goods into Ecuador in pro- 
portion to the population. 

" While we were passing a po- 
tato-field Dr. Bronson reminded 
us that we might consider our- 
selves near the birthplace of an 
intimate friend. 

"We tried to think what 
friend of ours was born in Quito, 




LAUNDRESSES OF QUITO. 



FRUITS OF QUITO. 129 

but could not remember any. "We said so to the Doctor, and he then ex- 
plained that the one he referred to was the potato. 

"'Certainly,' exclaimed Frank, 'I remember, now you mention it, 
that the potato was found at Quito by the Spaniards and taken by them 
to Europe early in the sixteenth century. From Spain it was carried to 
Germany, France, Belgium, and Italy, and last of all to Ireland, where it 
was introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh on his estate near Cork.' 

" ' You are quite right,' said the Doctor. ' The so-called " Irish potato " 
is really a native of South America.' 

" ' The descendant is worthier than the parent,' Frank remarked, as he 
pointed to the potato - field we were passing. ' The potato of Ireland 
and of the United States is much larger and finer than that of Ecuador. 
Cultivation in a foreign land has done a great deal for this vegetable.' 

" We both agreed with him, as we had already remarked the diminutive 
size of the potatoes of Quito. The same comment applies to the cherries, 
pears, peaches, strawberries, and tomatoes, which do not seem to enjoy the 
climate, but there are other fruits and vegetables that get along better. 
The finest fruit here is the chirimoya ; its name comes from chiri (cold), 
and moya (seed). It grows in Peru and other parts of South America as 
well as in Ecuador ; the fruit often reaches a weight of sixteen pounds, 
and has a thick green skin enclosing a snow-white pulp, in which about 
seventy black seeds are imbedded. Professor Orton says its taste is a 
happy admixture of sweetness and acidity; Hamke calls it 'a masterwork 
of nature ;' and another traveller describes it as ' a spiritualized straw- 
berry.' We have tried to find a description of it, but must fall back upon 
that of our predecessors. Dr. Holmes says all the pens in the world can- 
not tell how the birds sing and the lilacs swell; no more can we give in 
words a satisfactory account of this prince among fruits. 

" But all the time, during our walk through and around Quito, we find 
ourselves every few minutes fixing our eyes on the great peaks of the 
Andes and Cordilleras that rise around us. We are in the centre of the 
most volcanic region of the globe; there are fifty-one volcanoes in the 
chain of the Andes, and out of this number no less than twenty surround 
the valley where Quito stands. Three of the twenty are active, five are 
dormant, and twelve are extinct ; they are all in a space two hundred 
miles long and thirty wide, and in addition to these volcanoes there are 
many other peaks not strictly volcanic. There are twenty-two mountains 
whose tops are covered with perpetual snow, and fifty that are each more 
than ten thousand feet high. Do you wonder that while looking at the city 
our thoughts are drawn towards the mountains in whose midst it is built ?" 

9 



130 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




BALCONY VIEW OF TlHE ANDES. 



In the evening our friends arranged to visit the summit of Pichincha, 
the volcano which towers above Quito, and is easily reached. Mules can 
be ridden to the very edge of the crater, but there are not a dozen gentle- 
men of Quito who have ever made the journey to it ; they are intending 
to do so at some future time, and this future never comes. Apart from 
the o-uides, it is probable that the mountain has been ascended more fre- 
quently by strangers than by native-born residents of the city. 

Our party started from Quito in the afternoon, accompanied by two 
guides, and rode to a Jesuit monastery in the valley of Lloa, where they 
passed the night. Rising at daybreak the next morning, they rode 
through the forest which surrounds the mountain, up to the timber line, 
twelve thousand feet above the sea; the path was intricate and very diffi- 
cult, as it was frequently blocked by fallen trees and obstructed by huge 
stones, which it was necessary to pass around. From the timber line 
they passed into a belt of stunted bushes, and then reached the point 
where vegetation ceases. 

Here it was less laborious travelling, but by no means easy. By 
nine in the forenoon they were at the foot of the cone, where they left 



THE DEEPEST CRATER IN THE WORLD. 



131 



the mules in the care of one of the guides and finished the ascent on 
foot. 




Frank and Fred were of different opinions; the former declared the 
cone easier of ascent than that of Vesuvius, while the latter thought it 



132 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

was not. But they agreed that there was less of it than of the cone of 
Vesuvius, and therefore it was preferable ; it was little more than two 
hundred feet high, and covered with sand and cinders at an incline of 
about thirty -five degrees. They had many slips and falls, but nothing 
of consequence ; Frank was a few feet in advance of Fred when they 
reached the edge of the crater, and both gave a loud hurrah by way of 
encouragement to the Doctor, who was lagging behind. 

They wanted to descend into the crater, but the guide refused to accom- 
pany them, and the Doctor counselled prudence, as the crater of Pichin- 
cha is the deepest in the world, and the descent is dangerous. Humboldt 
pronounced it inaccessible, from its great depth and precipitous descent, 
but since his time it has been explored. The first who ventured there 
were Garcia Moreno and Sebastian Wisse, in 1844; and next after them 
was Professor Orton, in 1867. The latter says he was obliged to use the 
greatest caution, and a single misstep would have sent him tumbling to 
the bottom of the abyss. At times he was almost paralyzed with fear, 
and felt that death was staring him in the face. 

" To give you an idea of the crater of Pichincha," said the Doctor, 
as they stood on its edge and watched the clouds of smoke and steam 
curling upwards, "let me give you some figures. This crater is 2500 
feet deep ; that of Kilauea, in the Sandwich Islands, is 600 ; Orizaba is 500 ; 
Etna is 300 ; and Hecla 100. Professor Orton says Vesuvius is a portable 
furnace by comparison with this crater, which is a mile wide and half a 
mile deep. We are standing nearly 16,000 feet above the level of the sea, 
5000 feet higher than Etna, almost four times the height of Vesuvius, 
and five times that of Stromboli, the ' lighthouse of the Mediterranean.' " 

"I cannot do better," said Fred, afterwards, in describing the view 
from the summit of Pichincha, " than quote the words of Professor Orton 
in ' The Andes and the Amazon.' Here they are : 

" ' Below us are the smouldering fires, which may any moment spring 
forth into a conflagration ; around us are the black, ragged cliffs — fit 
boundary for this gateway to the infernal regions. They look as if they 
had just been dragged up from the central furnace of the earth. Life 
seems to have fled in terror from the vicinity ; even lichens, the children 
of the bare rocks, refuse to clothe the scathed and beetling crags. For 
some moments, made mute by the dreadful sight, w T e stood like statues on 
the rim of the mighty caldron, with our eyes riveted on the abyss below, 
lost in contemplating that which cannot be described. 

" 'The panorama from this lofty summit is more pleasing, but equally 
sublime. Towards the rising sun is the long range of the Eastern Cordil- 



VIEW FROM PICHINCHA. 



133 



leras, hiding from our view the great valley of the Amazon. To right and 
left, are the peaks of another procession of august mountains, from Coto- 
eachi to Chimborazo. We are surrounded bj the great patriarchs of the 
Andes, and their speaker, Cotopaxi, ever and anon sends his muttering 
voice over the land. The view westward is like looking down from a 
balloon. Those parallel ridges of the mountain chain, dropping one 
behind the other, are the gigantic staircase by which the ice-crowned 
Chimborazo steps down to the sea. A white sea of clouds covers the 
peaceful Pacific, and the lower parts of the coast. But the vapory ocean, 




EL ALTAR, VOLCANO, ECUADOR. 

curling into the ravines, beautifully represents little coves and bays, leav- 
ing islands and promontories like a true ocean on a broken shore. We 
seem raised above the earth, which lies like an opened map below us ; we 
can look down on the upper surface of the clouds, and, were it night, down 
too upon the lightnings.' " 

After an hour had been passed in contemplation of the awful crater, and 
the grand view from the summit of the mountain, the Doctor suggested that 
it was time to descend. Finding a place where the cinders were unbroken 
from top to bottom of the cone the youths slid quickly downward, as they 



13i THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

had done at Vesuvius,. years before. They were followed by the Doctor, 
and then the trio sat down to a dinner, which had been left in care of the 
guide who remained with the mules. It was seasoned with the best of 
sauces, hunger, which had been developed by the exertions of the morn- 
ing, and the pauses in the progress of the meal were brief indeed. 

Dinner over, they mounted, and returned by the road which they fol- 
lowed in the ascent. Evening found them again in Quito, and in the 
wretched posada which is the only hotel of the capital of Ecuador. 

During the evening conversation naturally turned to volcanoes and 
earthquakes; one writer has said facetiously that earthquakes are the prin- 
cipal productions of Ecuador, and he certainly is not far out of the way. 
Most of the South American earthquakes appear to have their origin in 
Ecuador, as the shocks are generally felt there first, and with the greatest 
severity. The great disturbance of 1868 was an exceptional occurrence, 
as it had its commencement in Peru, on the 13th of August, causing great 
loss of life and destruction of property. The shock in Ecuador was three 
da} r s later; it was more fatal to life than in Peru, but less destructive to 
property. The Peruvian earthquake occurred in the afternoon, and was 
preceded by premonitory shocks, while the Ecuadorian one was in the 
night, and gave no warning of its approach. 

" According to the accounts," said the Doctor, " the first shock of the 
earthquake in Quito was felt a little after midnight on the 16th of August, 
another at four in the morning, and two others in the course of the day. 
One, in the afternoon, was accompanied by a shower of rain and hail, which 
fell with great violence ; there had been a similar shower on the afternoon 
of the 15th. It was noticeable that for two months before the earth- 
quakes there were serious disturbances of the atmosphere, and a catarrhal 
fever had prevailed, which swept off thousands of people. The whole 
country was in mourning for those who had died of the pestilence, when 
the earthquake came, to cause additional sorrow. 

"The amount of the destruction in Quito has been mentioned already. 
The earthquake was more severe in the northern provinces of Ecuador, 
where the ground sank, cliffs were thrown down, lakes appeared, great 
chasms opened in the earth, and the whole face of the country was 
changed. The province of Imbaburu, which was the most fertile and 
productive in the republic, as well as the most populous and prosperous, 
suffered more than any other. It contained several towns and small cities, 
and the rural districts were in an excellent state of cultivation fortius part 
of the world. The earthquake totally destroyed several of these places, 
as it came in the night, when most of the inhabitants were asleep in their 



DESTRUCTION OF IBARRA. 



135 



houses. Two towns in the canton of Catuchi were completely wiped out 
of existence, and no sign was left to show where they stood. Not five 
per cent, of the people escaped with their lives ! 

" In another town seven tenths of the inhabitants were killed by the 
falling of the buildings, and the sinking of the earth into a great chasm, 
which opened beneath the place. The city of Ibarra, the capital of the 
province, was beautifully situated in the centre of a fertile plain ; it was 




VIEW OF IBARRA, ECUADOR. 



surrounded by orchards, gardens, and fields, so that the place only became 
visible on a very near approach, or from the distant hills. It had a popu- 
lation of about ten thousand, though generally estimated at a higher figure. 
Nearly one half of its inhabitants lost their lives in the earthquake, and 
it was said that hardly a dozen houses remained standing after the shocks 
were ended. 

" The subject is an unpleasant one," continued the Doctor, after a 
pause. " Let us turn to something else. 

" To-morrow we will prepare for our return to the coast. The guide has 
been trying to persuade me to go over the Andes to the head-waters of the 



136 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

Amazon, whence we can descend to the Atlantic. I have told him our 
plans would not permit our doing so, but he desires to talk further on the 
subject. Let us call him, and hear what he has to sa} r ; at any rate, we 
can learn something about the country to the east of us." 

Francisco, the guide, was waiting in the court-yard of the hotel, and 
came promptly when told that he was wanted. He was an intelligent 
native of a village near Quito, and had been several times over the moun- 
tains, between the capital and the Napo River, one of the tributaries of 
the Amazon. He spoke Spanish fluently, and told his story without a 
moment's hesitation. We will render it into English, and give it as it was 
remembered by our friends. 

" The journey from here to the Napo will take about fifteen days," 
said Francisco, " and down the Napo to where the steamers come on the 
Maranon, or Upper Amazon, will take fifteen or twenty more. You will 
need to carry the most of your provisions, as game cannot be relied on, 
and the people are scattered, and have very little to sell. Professor Orton 
had three persons in his part} 7 , the same number that you have, and he 
calculated his provisions so closely, that when he reached the first village 
on the Maranon he had just enough left for one grand farewell dinner." 

Fred asked what the Professor carried in the way of provisions. Fran- 
cisco drew from his pocket a faded and crumpled paper, and read as fol- 
lows : 

"One hundred pounds each of flour and crackers; ninety pounds of 
sugar; fifty pounds each of rice and dried beef; thirty each of corn-meal, 
pea-flour, and chocolate ; fifty of mashha (roasted barley-meal) ; ten each 
of salt, lard, and ham; one hundred and seventy eggs; and one or two 
pounds each of tea, mate, soda, and cream of tartar. They bought eggs, 
chickens, rice, syrup, and other things from the Indians, whenever they 
had the opportunity, and when they reached the river they occasionally 
obtained fish, game, and turtles' eggs. 

"All these things were sealed up in tin cans," continued the guide; 
" partly as a precaution against injury from the dampness of the climate, 
and partly to save them from theft by the Indian porters. The atmosphere 
of the Napo is like a steam bath, and keeps everything wet, and the Indians 
have a fondness for helping themselves when they have a chance. You 
can't get along without the Indians, as they are your only porters. From 
here to the foot of the mountains }^ou can go on horseback, but the rest of 
the way to the ISTapo you must travel on foot, and the Indians carry your 
baggage." 

This announcement caused a shake of the head on the part of the trio 



OUTFIT FOR CROSSING THE ANDES. 



137 




NAPO INDIAN PORTER. 



of listeners, and it became very evident that they were not inclined to 
make the journey from Quito to the Amazon in that way. 

" You will cross the Andes at an elevation of fifteen thousand feet," 
said Francisco, not noticing the sign of disapproval ; " and, therefore, must 
carry thick clothing to shield you from the cold, and rubber ponchos to 
keep off the rain in the day and spread on the ground at night as a foun- 
dation for your beds. You want two suits of clothes ; one to wear in the 
daytime, and the other to put on dry at night. When you go into camp 
you must remove the suit you have worn since morning, as it will gener- 
ally be wet through by the rain, or by fording streams and passing through 
marshy ground." 

il How many pairs of boots will be wanted for each of us?" inquired 
Fred. " It seems to me there will be a fearful destruction of foot-gear." 



13S 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Yes," replied the guide, " but your American boots will not answer 
for the journey. Buy plenty of alpargates, or native sandals made from 
the fibre of the aloe plant, and be sure and have enough of them, as a pair 
will not last more than two days. They are better than boots, as they do 
not keep the feet uncomfortably warm, and no leather boots can keep out 
the moisture through which you will constantly travel. 

"Then you want a stock of lienzo, or cotton cloth, which is the cur- 
rency of the Indians, just as it is of the wild people of Africa. Then add 
knives, fish-hooks, thread, beads, looking-glasses, and some other trifles, 
and you will have an outfit for the trip. Of course you will suit your- 
selves about guns, pistols, cooking utensils, scientific apparatus, and the 
like, and remember to have no package weighing more than seventy-five 
pounds, which is the load of an Indian porter. Professor Orton had thir- 
teen horses to carry himself and party as far as the horses could go, and 
from there to the Napo he had twenty Indian porters, which is probably 
what you would need. The whole expense for horses and porters will be 
about one hundred and fifty dollars ; at Napo you will hire canoes to 
descend the river, and the hardships of your journey will be over. 




DESCENDING THK NAPO. 



CROSSING THE ANDES. 




140 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"There are many rapids in the Napo Kiver, and the voyage will be an 
exciting one ; the rapids look very dangerous, but the Indians are excellent 
boatmen, and, if you let them alone, they will carry you safely along with 
the current. At Pebas, on the Maranon, it may be necessary to wait a 
few days for a steamboat, as the navigation is not regular, but you can be 
reasonably sure of no further trouble on your way down the Maranon 
and Amazon to the Atlantic." 

The Doctor thanked Francisco for his information, and told him they 
would think the subject over, and have a further talk with him the next 
morning. 

When he appeared again before them Dr. Bronson reiterated his pre- 
vious assertion, that they could not change their plans, but the guide was 
rewarded for his information by a present of money that put him imme- 
diately in good-humor. He assisted them in their preparations for the 
return to the coast, and accompanied them as far as Guaranda, where new 
animals were engaged to Bodegas. 

We will now seat our friends on the enchanted carpet of the Arabian 
Nights' Entertainment, and with the swiftness of thought place them on 
.board a steamer leaving Guayaquil for Callao. 




IiAPIDS IN A MOUNTAIN STREAM OF SOUTH AMERICA. 



ON SHORE AT PAITA. 



141 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FROM GUAYAQUIL TO CALLAO.— LANDING AT PAITA.— THE SITE OF OLD CALLAO.— 
ARRIVAL AT LIMA— SIGHTS OF THE PERUVIAN CAPITAL.— GENERAL DESCRIP- 
TION OF THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS. 

PAITA, in Peru, was the first stopping-place of the steamer, but the 
delay was only for a few hours, and our friends had no opportunity 
for a lengthened visit to the shore. But they voted unanimously that they 
had seen all that was worth seeing, as the place contained very few at- 
tractions. 

Paita is on a bay affording good anchorage for ships; it is the seaport 
of the city of Piura, which lies at the foot of the mountains, on the other 




WATER-CARRIER AND DONKEYS. 

side of the desert of Sechura. There is no sign of vegetation in and 
around Paita, and the water which supplies the wants of the residents is 
brought from a point thirty miles inland. Formerly it was transported 
on the backs of donkeys, but recently a pipe has been laid for the entire 
distance, and the inhabitants are no longer dependent upon the vagaries 
of the long-eared animal for their aqueous supply. 

As soon as the steamer dropped her anchor the Doctor and the youths 



142 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



went on shore. They landed at an iron pier in front of a beach of gray 
sand, where there was a single street of houses, mostly very frail in con- 
struction. Some of the shops and dwellings were solidly built, but the 
majority w T ere of a sort of basket-work covered with plastered mud, pre- 
senting many impromptu loop-holes through which the occupants could 
gaze on the outer world. Back of the town is a cliff of volcanic stone, 
rising rather steeply; Frank and Fred climbed to the top of the cliff, 
while the Doctor remained in conversation with one of the English resi- 
dents. The youths could hardly say if they had been repaid for their 
exertions, as they saw only the distant range of mountains beyond the 
desert, which was said to be about fifty miles across. The desert was of 
the same color as the beach and the cliffs behind it, and the landscape of 
Paita may be set down as monotonous. 

"Whether you are repaid or not," said the Doctor, when they re- 
turned, "may be an open question, but you have had a view of Peru, and 
certainly that is worth something." 

" I hope the rest of Peru is different from what we have just seen," 
replied Frank, with a laugh. 

"You have had a fair sample of it here," answered the Doctor. 
"From this point to the southern boundary of Peru there is little else 
than a strip of desert between the Andes and the sea. In some parts of 
it rain never falls, and the whole expanse is barren of vegetation. Here 
and there rivers come down to the ocean, but none of them are large, and 
the majority are dry for the greater part of the year. The Guayas, which 
we ascended from Guayaquil to Bodegas, is the largest river on the whole 
Pacific coast of South America." 







DESERT SCENE. 



CLIMATIC PECULIARITIES. 



143 



"I understand," said Fred, "that the strip between the mountains and 
the ocean on the western side of South America is very narrow, and 
therefore the rivers cannot be large; but how does it happen that there is 
so little rain, and, in some places, none at all ?" 

"I will endeavor to explain it," replied Dr. Bronson, " and in doing 
so will call your attention to the fertile regions of the Amazon, Orinoco, 
and La Plata, on the eastern side of the Andes, in contrast with the arid 
desert on the west. The tropical winds from the Atlantic Ocean are 
laden with moisture; they blow with great regularity from east to west, 
and thus sweep over the country drained by the rivers I have mentioned. 
Rain is frequent and copious all through that region ; it varies with the 
seasons of the year, but is always sufficient to keep the channels of the 
streams well filled. 

"The rains continue up to the foot of the Andes and along their east- 




A WOLF EMIGRATING. 



ern slopes. The mountains condense the moisture from the warm winds, 
and up to the very crest of the dividing ridge there is an abundance of 
rain. But by the time the winds have crossed the Andes all the water 
they carried has been wrung from them, and when they reach the Pacific 
slope they have no more to give out. Thus it happens that the eastern 
slopes of the Andes and the great plains intervening to the Atlantic have 
an abundance of water, while there is little or none at all for the west. 

" There is a part of Peru and Bolivia where rain never falls," con- 
tinued the Doctor. "It is known as the ' Despoblado'' or 'The Unin- 
habited,' in consequence of the severity of its climate, and the great 
difficulty of existing there. In the language of a once -famous states- 



144 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

man of America, it is 'so poor that a wolf couldn't make a decent living 
there.' " 

"Does this condition of dryness extend all along the western coast to 
the end of the continent?" one of the youths inquired. 

"No," was the reply. "As we go south through Chili we encounter 
more moisture in the climate, and on reaching Patagonia we find the west- 
ern slopes of the Andes drenched by frequent rains, and the tops of the 
mountains almost constantly covered with clouds. This condition is due 
to the trade-winds, which blow from the south Pacific Ocean to the land; 
the plains east of the Andes in Patagonia are comparatively dry, and 
swept by cold winds from the snow-tipped summits of the mountains. 
Remember, we are south of the equator, and the farther south we go the 
more cold do we find." 

In conversations like this, and in the examination of books relating 
to Peru and other parts of South America, the time passed during the 
voyage from Paita to Callao. Frank was busy with Prescott's "Con- 
quest of Peru," while Fred carefully conned the pages of " Peru, or 
Travel and Exploration in the Land of the Incas," by Hon. E. G. Squier. 
Frank declared that the work of Prescott "read like a romance," while 
Fred was equally enthusiastic over the book which claimed his attention. 
It is quite likely that they will rely upon these volumes for much of 
their information concerning the antiquities of Peru, and the story of its 
occupation by the Spanish conquerors. 

The steamer kept far out to sea, and very little of the coast between 
Paita and Callao was visible. Finally, on a misty morning, her head was 
turned towards the land ; passing a high, rocky island on the right, and 
leaving a low shore on the left, she entered the harbor of Callao, and 
dropped anchor among a miscellaneous assemblage of steamers and sailing- 
ships, bearing the flags of at least a dozen foreign nations, together with a 
liberal array of Peruvian and Chilian craft. The Doctor explained that 
there is generally a mist hanging over the harbor of Callao in the morning, 
owing to the condensation of the tropical moisture by the cold current of 
air sweeping northward from the Antarctic regions. The ships at anchor 
were revealed through this mist, and so were the towers of the castle that 
commands the harbor and the town at its base. Beyond the shore was a 
line of hills backed against the snowy mountains in the distance. The 
shore formed a pleasing contrast to the one they left at Paita, as it was 
covered with trees, and indicated a break in the desert that the Doctor 
had described. 

The steamer was immediately surrounded by boats, and the boat- 



THE HARBOR OF CALLAO. 



145 



men hailed the passengers in a perfect polyglot of languages; they en- 
deavored to make bargains previous to the arrival of the captain of the 
port, without whose authority the ship could not hold communication 
with the shore. That official took his time, and made everybody impa- 
tient; he was visiting a steamer that had just arrived from the south, and 
was not disposed to hurry. 

Frank and Fred relieved the monotony of waiting by studying the 
outlines of the shore, taking note of the heterogeneous array of boatmen, 
listening to their appeals for patronage, and attempting a sketch of the 
fort which defended the city and harbor. But their artistic efforts were 
so frequently interrupted that the sketches were unsatisfactory, and we 
are not permitted to reproduce them. 




SHU'S IN A FOG. 



" The harbor of Callao is nothing to boast of," said the Doctor, " but 
it is better than most others on the Pacific coast. The prevailing winds 
are from the south and southwest, and protection is afforded from those 
winds by the island of San Lorenzo and the tongue of land where Old 
Callao stood." 

"Why was the city moved from its former position?" Fred asked. 
"What was the difference between Old Callao and the present one?" 

"It was an earthquake that moved it," replied Dr. Bronson. "Callao 
was submerged, with all its inhabitants, in 1746, and when the water is 
calm } T ou can row over it in a boat, and see the ruins down below }'ou. 
At half-past ten o'clock one night the sea receded to a great distance, and 

10 



14:6 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

then rolled back with such violence as to sweep the town and its fortifica- 
tions out of existence. Five thousand persons perished ; nineteen ships 
were foundered, and four others, including a Spanish man-of-war, were 
carried far up on the land. Modern Callao had a narrow escape from a 
similar fate in 1825 and again in 1868, and at any moment it is liable to 
be engulfed like its predecessor."' 

The captain of the port came, and then the passengers were at liberty 
to land. The landing-place is at the side of a mole which protects the 
harbor on its northern side from the swell of the Pacific. Frank and 
Fred were surprised to see large piles of grain in the open air, together 
with other merchandise, but their wonder ceased when they were told that 
it never rains at Callao, the only moisture being from the mists and fogs 
already mentioned. The absence of rain renders the place unhealthy, as 
the drainage is not good, and the heat is great. Frank thought Callao was 
an excellent rival to Cologne in the way of bad odors, and both the youths 
were disinclined to make a prolonged stay. 

The party went immediately to the railway station, followed by por- 
ters with their baggage, and in less than half an hour were on their way 
■ to Lima, six miles distant. There is nothing worth seeing in Callao, 
which has a population of some twenty-five or thirty thousand, and is im- 
portant only from a commercial point of view. The railway skirts the 
shore for a short distance, then passes through a suburb of the town, and 
ascends an acclivity of about five hundred feet, which lies between the 
ocean and the capital city. For nearly the whole distance it is close to the 
Camino Real or Royal Road, the old route established by the Spaniards to 
connect Lima with its seaport. The train toiled slowly up the incline, 
and accomplished the journey in little less than half an hour. This 
travelling would be considered slow in other countries, but it is satisfac- 
tory to the inhabitants, as nobody in Lima ever thinks of hurrying. 

Much of the country between Callao and Lima is under cultivation, 
by means of irrigating canals brought from theRiinac River. The Rimac 
dwindles to a small brook in the dry season, but in the period of rains it 
swells into quite a river, and furnishes more water than is needed. In 
the absence of rain it is the sole reliance for the gardens and fields 
around Lima; it is as necessary to this region as is the Nile to Lower 
Egypt. Without the Rimac, Lima would dry up and disappear ; with it 
the city stands in a surrounding of luxuriant gardens and smiling fields. 

The baggage was intrusted to an employe of the hotel, who had been 
telegraphed for, and met our friends at the station ; guided by a servant 
from the same establishment, they walked the short distance intervening 



FIRST VIEW OF LIMA. 



147 




A GARDEN ON THE EIMAC. 



between the station and their lodging-place, narrowly escaping collisions 
with troops of laden donkeys, that rushed along the streets as though they 
possessed the sole right of occupation. They seemed to prefer the side- 
walks to the middle of the street, probably because the latter was less 
smooth than the sidewalks, and their drivers didn't care where they went 
as long as they kept moving in the right direction. Few carriages were 
visible, and these few were not attractive in appearance. 

For a description of Lima we will quote from Frank's letter to his 
mother, which was sent by the next steamer northward from Callao: 



" Here we are, in the ' City of the Kings,' as it was named by Pizarro. 
According to the histories, it was on the 6th of January, 1535, Old Style, 
that the Spanish conqueror designated it as the capital of his dominions. 
That day happened to be the festival of the Magi, or Three Wise Men of 
the East, who came to Bethlehem to adore the Saviour; in old chronicles 
they are styled ' The Three Kings,' and hence Pizarro called his capital 
Ciudad de los Reyes, or 'City of the Kings.' Charles V. designated the 
arms of the city to be three golden crowns on a blue field, with a rayed 



148 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

star to indicate the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the kings. The 
name Lima is a modification or adaptation of the native word Rimac, 
which formerly belonged to the plain or valley where the city is built, 
and is still borne by the river which supplies it with water. 

"In many respects Lima is one of the most interesting cities of South 
America; certainly we have found it full of attractions, and have not had 
an idle minute since our arrival. We have been trying to imagine what it 
must have been when surrounded by the walls which the Spaniards built 
at great expense. These walls have proved useless in modern times ; 
they have been completely destroyed, and the space they occupied is con- 
verted into promenades, or laid out in gardens or building -lots. The 
walls enclosed an area about three miles long by one and a half broad, on 



M ,J '■ 



A CLAIMANT FOR THE SIDEWALK. 



the left bank of the Rimac; they were twenty feet thick, and somewhat 
more in height, and were made of adobes, the favorite building-material 
of this part of the world. The city is about ten miles in circumference, 
but a large part of its area is laid out in gardens and public squares, so 
that the wdiole is by no means occupied. 

"I send you a map of Lima and the surrounding country, which will 
give you an excellent idea of its position. Unhappily for Peru, much of 
the beautiful region around its capital was laid waste by the invading 
army during the late war between Chili and Peru ; Chili was completely 
victorious, and also unmerciful, and in the battle which decided the fate 
of Lima many of the country-houses and villages in the neighborhood 
were burned. This was the sad lot of Chorillos, the Long Branch or 



THE CAPITAL OF PERU. 



149 



:;?!*i;? 



mm 









hIIIW 



Vh 




150 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Coney Island of Lima, and also of Miraflores, which lies between Choril- 
los and the great city. 

" There is a railway from Chorillos to Lima, passing through Mira- 
flores; the invading army landed at Chorillos, and marched along the 
line of railway to Lima. They destroyed nearly everything on the route, 
and were only prevented from burning and plundering the city by the 




English Chains 



LIMA AND THK SURROUNDING COUNTRY. 



energy of the British minister and other members of the diplomatic corps, 
backed by the English and French admirals, with their ships of war in 
the harbor of Callao. 

" So much for the horrors of war, which this country will long remem- 
ber. The population of Lima is variously placed at from one hundred thou- 
sand to one hundred and twenty thousand ; there are about fifteen thousand 



THE POPULATION OF LIMA. 



151 



foreigners and six thousand priests among them, so that you cannot go 
far on the streets without meeting either a foreigner or a priest. In all 
the cities we have ever seen there does not appear to be a more mixed 
lot of inhabitants than here; Constantinople and Cairo are not more 
kaleidoscopic than Lima, and I think the American city is somewhat 
ahead of them. 




WEARING THE " SAYA Y MANTO." 



"There are English, French, German, Spanish, Belgian, and North 
American residents here; there are Chinese and Negroes, white, black, 
yellow, and all other complexions among the natives of the country, be- 
sides, as Fred says, ' several wards to hear from.' Professor Orton says 
there are at least twenty-five varieties of people in Lima ; the upper 
classes are educated and polite, while the lowest of the population are 



152 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



among the most dangerous in the world. During the night before the 
occupation of Lima by the Chilian army the dangerous class had posses- 
sion of the city for some hours, and committed many depredations. The 
foreigners organized a temporary police, and stopped the disorder; if 
they had not done so the whole city would have been plundered. 

"We used to read in our school-books that the ladies of Lima covered 
their faces with the saya y manto, or veil, when out walking, so that only 
one eye could be seen. We saw a few veils worn in this way, and the 
Doctor said the wearers were probably old, and not pretty; the most of 

the ladies have dropped the old fash- 
ion, and permit their faces to be seen, 
using the veil only as a covering for 
the top of the head. I enclose a 
photograph of a lady of Lima to-day, 
and a sketch which shows the old 
style of wearing the saya y manto. 

"We spent the first evening of our 
visit in strolling through the Plaza 
Mayor, or Great Square, which cov- 
ers nine acres of ground, and listen- 
ing to a band of music which played 
several national and other airs. 
There is a bronze fountain in the 
centre of the square, and a garden 
around the fountain where tropical 
plants and trees seemed to flourish. 
The cathedral is on one side of 
the square; it is a fine building, 
and its corner-stone was laid by Pizarro twelve clays after the city was 
founded. Our guide took us from the cathedral to an alley leading from 
the south side of the square, and pointed out the house where the great 
conqueror was assassinated. l But he killed three of his assailants before 
they could overpower him,' said the guide, proudly, as if in reverence of 
the memory of Pizarro. We thought he might claim to be a descendant 
of one of the Spanish conquerors, and make his noble blood an excuse f on- 
demanding increased pay for his services, but he did not. 

"The government palace fronts on the plaza, and the rest of the space 
surrounding the square is occupied by shops, principally filled with 
European goods; American products may be seen here, but not as often 
as we wished to find them. In two of the shops we observed that the 




A LADY OF LIMA. 



A CITY WITHOUT RAIN. 153 

weighing was done on Fairbanks' Scales, and our guide said the same ap- 
paratus could be found all through Lima, and elsewhere in Peru. Of the 
agricultural machinery used in Peru the greater part is said to be of 
American manufacture. 

"One of the sights of Lima is the stone bridge over the Rimac; it 
was built by the old Spaniards, and has stood bravely against all the 
earthquakes that have shaken the city for the last three centuries. The 
bridge is five hundred and thirty feet long, and rests on stone arches; at 
the entrance there is a splendid arch bearing the inscription 'Dios y La 
Patria' ('God and Country'). We walked over the bridge, and from its 
parapet looked upon the river, which was not over two feet deep in its 
principal channel, while a large part of its bed was bare. The Rimac 
resembles the Manzanares at Madrid, and some of the foreign residents ■ 
say the bottom has to be sprinkled at times to keep it from flying away. 
When the rain falls in the mountains the Rimac swells to a considerable 
stream, and rushes along with great violence. 

" Speaking of the stone bridge reminds me that the founders of the 
city used stone for the construction of the public buildings, and their ex- 
ample has been followed to some extent in modern times. But the com- 
mon buildings are of adobe, which does very well in a climate where there 
is so little rain, and lasts a long time. The roofs are nearly all flat; it 
never snows here, and it never rains more than a few drops at a time. 
Consequently the chief use of a roof is to exclude the sun. The temper- 
ature ranges from 60° to 88°, stoves and other heating apparatus are un- 
known, and the only fires are for cooking purposes. From November to 
March the weather is dry and delightful, but from March to November it 
is damp and unhealthy, owing to the continuous fogs that roll in from 
the ocean. 

" But in spite of its even climate the deaths exceed the births in Lima, 
and if the city were not constantly recruited from other parts of the coun- 
try and the world it would be depopulated. I am told that the mortality 
among infants is three times as great as in London or New York. It is 
attributed to the dampness of the climate for a part of the year, and the 
bad drainage consequent upon the absence of rain. Regions where rain 
never falls may be pleasant for those who do not like umbrellas and rub- 
ber clothing, but there are disadvantages which more than outweigh the 
comforts. 

" The buildings cover a large area, and are nearly always constructed 
with central court-yards. They are rarely of more than two stories, and 
the roofs would be of little use in Boston or New York. The roofs are 



154 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA 



generally of a single thickness of boards, or of poles covered with mat- 
ting, supporting a layer of sand or ashes, to absorb the moisture of the 
fogs. A summer shower such as we are familiar with on the banks of 
the Hudson or Connecticut would soak the whole of Lima so that hardly 
a house would be inhabitable. 

"We were roused early in the morning by the crowing of chickens 
above our heads, and on looking around to find the cause of the disturb- 
ance we found that the roofs of the houses in Lima are the favorite places 
for keeping poultry. The flat surface and the absence of rain adapt the 
roof to this purpose, and the people are evidently too lazy to maintain their 
fowls elsewhere. You would think chickens might be cheap, when there 




INTERIOR COURT, LIMA. 



are such facilities for rearing them ; but they are not, and the same is the 
case with beef, mutton, and other animal food. A good many of the 
chickens are kept for fighting purposes, and not to be eaten ; cock-fights 
are a common amusement among the people, and a great deal of money 
changes hands at one of these performances. 

"We had a pleasant walk through the central market, which is in a 
large building covering an entire square; or, rather, built around the 
square with a court in the centre. 

" On the sides of the square there are stalls for the larger dealers ; the 
galleries and the open space in the centre are occupied by women who 



VIEW IN THE PERUVIAN CAPITAL. 



155 




BRIDGE OVER THE RIMAC, LIMA. 



156 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IX SOUTH AMERICA. 




ONE USE FOR CHICKENS. 



sit beside the articles they 
have to sell, and keep up a 
perpetual conversation with 
each other, like market-wom- 
en all over the world.. Ly- 
ing only 12° south of the 

equator, Lima has a tropical climate; with the outlying range of the 
Andes sixty miles away, she is within a short railway ride of a temperate 
region. The result is that vou can find in the market the vegetable 
products of two zones; those of the torrid, from the neighborhood of 
Lima, and those of the temperate, from the mountains. 

"Here are tomatoes, green corn, cucumbers, radishes, parsnips, and 
other growths of New England or New York, side by side with oranges, 
peaches, chirimoyas, grapes, mangoes, and other tropical things whose 
names are not familiar to you. Flowers are in great abundance, and 
roses are everywhere grown in the gardens. You see them in great 
variety and profusion, and it is claimed for Lima that she can show more 
kinds of roses than any other city in the world. There are vases of 
growing flowers in nearly all the court-yards and on the balconies, and 
the women of all classes use the flowers for decorating their hair. At 
one time there was almost a craze for the cultivation of roses, and many a 
man spent a large part of his income in the experiment. 

"We cannot say much for the cookery of Lima, if we are to judge by 
what we have seen. The hotel is managed by a Frenchman ; his table 



A PERUVIAN DINNER. 157 

is mainly French, but he has adopted some of the native dishes and cus- 
toms. One article that may be called the national dish of Peru is a part 
of his bill of fare, and known as puchero. I have obtained the recipe for 
it, and here it is : 

"'Have a kettle according to the size of your puchero; put in this ket- 
tle a large piece of beef or mutton, some cabbage, sweet potatoes, salt 
pork, sausage-meat, pigs' feet, yucas, bananas, quinces, pease, and rice, with 
spices, salt, and plenty of red pepper for seasoning. Add sufficient water, 
and stew the whole gently for five or six hours; then serve in a tureen or 
deep dish.' 

"Puchero is patterned somewhat after the olla podrida of Spain, the 
chowder of New England, and the bouillabiasse of southern France, but it 
has more ingredients and more flavors than all of them ; I cannot say I 
dislike it, but could get along better if they would make it with less red 
pepper. They seem to think that the more pepper they put in the better; 
our taste has become hardened to hot things in our experience with 
Oriental curries and African stews, but it is not yet quite up to the mark 
with these Spanish American preparations. 



LADIES OF LIMA AT HOME. 



158 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Another stew, simpler than puchero, is called chupe ; it is a favorite 
dish for breakfast, but not often served at dinner. The lower classes are 
fond of picantes, compounded of meat, fish, crabs, meal, potatoes, bananas, 
and red peppers, mixed with the juice of bitter oranges, and stewed with 
water. We have tasted of this wonderful mixture, but could not get to 
the second spoonful in consequence of the fiery nature of the peppers. 
Fred says they use a pound of peppers to a pound of all the other in- 
gredients, water included, and I can believe it. Swallowing a torchlight 




PERUVIAN INFANTRY AND CAVALRY. 



procession would be preferable to a dinner of picantes. Around the 
landing-place at Callao we saw women, with little braziers of charcoal, 
ladling out the steaming picantes to the idlers and laborers of the port, 
and we are told it is their only article of food. In the poorer parts of 
Lima there is a picanteria every few yards, and each establishment has its 
patrons among the porters, water-carriers, and negro laborers of the 
neighborhood. The many varieties of picantes have distinct names, but 
all are flavored with red pepper in abundance. 

" There was formerly a custom in Peru, on occasions of formality, for 
the host and hostess to eat by themselves, beforehand, and take nothing 



ETIQUETTE OF THE TABLE. 



159 



during the progress of the ceremonious meal. They sat at opposite ends 
of the table, and were supposed to be attending to the wants of their 
guests. The same custom prevails in some parts of Russia, but is passing 
away there as it is here. 

"Another bit of table etiquette formerly prevailing in Peru, and not 
yet entirely unknown, was to select some delicate morsel from the dish 
before you, and hand it on your fork to a lady of the party. She would 
return the compliment, and sometimes it was made rather surprising to 
the stranger when she took the morsel in her fingers, and placed it in the 
mouth of the one who had paid her the compliment. I am told that this 
latter part of the ceremonial, based on the correctness of the adage that 
fingers were made before forks, was confined to the interior provinces, and 
was not fashionable in Lima." 




A PASSAGE OF POLITENESS. 



160 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER IX. 

EQUESTRIANS AND THEIR COSTUMES.— LADIES OF LIMA.— EXCURSIONS AMONG 
RUINS.— PACHACAMAC, A HOLY CITY.— THE ANCIENT PERUVIANS.— ORIGIN OP 
THE INCA GOVERNMENT. 



H 



ORSEBACK riding is a fashionable amusement in Lima, to judge 
by the number of mounted men that are seen in the streets and 
in the surrounding country. Our friends 
learned, somewhat to their disappointment, 
that it.has declined a good deal in the past 
twenty years, and the gentlemen of Lima 
are now less renowned than formerly for 
their equestrianism. Still, there are many 
excellent riders in Lima, and occasionally 
one can be seen dressed in the costume 
that was once universally worn by the 
Peruvian cavaliers. The fashions of Paris 
have been adopted by society people in 
Lima, and the picturesqueness of the old 
style of dress is fast disappearing. 

Lima contains many professional horse- 
breakers, and they are among the best of 
their class. Peruvian horses are easily in- 
structed, and many of them perform sur- 
prising tricks; one of their feats is to turn 
around rapidly on the hind-legs when going 
at full gallop, and another is to jump over 
a wall, and immediately back again, with 
their riders on their backs. It is said that 
an English circus company once came to 
Lima, but the proprietor and performers 
were disgusted, and made haste to leave 
the country, when they found there were 
many horsemen in the city who could fully 
equal all the equestrian feats of the ring. 




A PERUVIAN CAVA 1. 1 Kit. 



DRESS OF A PERUVIAN HORSEMAN. 



161 



One of the performances of the horse-breakers is to make a horse jump 
to the top of a broad wall, and describe a segment of a circle while stand- 
ing on his hind-feet, and holding his fore-feet over the edge of the wall. 
He will do this repeatedly, and thus convince the spectator that it was not 
accidental. 




HORSE-BREAKERS AT WORK. 



Fred made the following note of the costume of the Peruvian cavalier, 
uncontaminated by foreign influences: 

" He wears a poncho, smaller than that of the country muleteer, and 
more gaudy in its appearance ; it is a fringed shawl reaching to the hips 
when the wearer is standing upright, and just covering the knees when he 
is in the saddle. A hole in the centre admits the head, and the shawl 
hangs gracefully over the shoulders of its wearer; it is more convenient 
than a jacket, or any other riding-garment, as it leaves the arms perfectly 
free to move in any direction, and there are no buttons to get loose. 

" The colors of the poncho are as varied as the tastes of the owners. 
Sometimes they are pure white, without any ornamentation, but much 
often er they are richly embroidered, or made in varieties of stripes, em- 
bracing all the colors of the rainbow. The trousers are close-fitting; they 

11 



162 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

have a stripe on the outside of the leg, and are held by a strap beneath 
the foot. No horseman would consider himself properly equipped without 
a pair of enormous spurs, the rowels standing out three or four inches 
from the heel, and the spurs containing altogether fully a pound of silver. 
A broad-brimmed hat and a riding-whip complete the cavalier's costume, 
and he is rarely without a cigar between his lips. In mounting, he gen- 
erally scorns to put his feet in the stirrups, but springs on the horse with- 
out their aid. The stirrups are huge blocks of wood, shielded with fully 
a square foot of leather. The saddle and other trappings of the horse are 
richly ornamented with silver, and sometimes with gold, and occasionally 
the bridle, head-gear, and crupper are made of silver rings linked closely 
together." 

The decline of Peruvian horsemanship was shown in the late war be- 
tween Chili and Peru. The Chilian cavalry was admirably managed, and 
in several battles it performed a large share of the work ; the cavalrymen 
were well mounted, and understood their business thoroughly, while the 
Peruvians were inefficiently drilled, and their horses were far inferior to 
those of the Chilians. One of the mounted detachments of the Peruvian 
.army was surprised and captured during the advance upon Lima, and the 
whole available force of cavalry for the defence of the capital did not ex- 
ceed six hundred men. 

Frank and Fred were quick to remark the difference between the 
feminine part of the population descended from the Spanish conquerors, 
and those whose ancestry were the native possessors of the land. The 
complexion was as distinctive as the dress ; the Spanish race is fair in feat- 
ure, while the women of Peruvian descent have a tinge of copper or 
bronze in their faces. The latter wear short skirts, and leave the hair un- 
covered by a veil ; sometimes the hair is braided in long tresses, and it is 
frequently topped with a hat of almost gigantic proportions. Many of 
these native women are excellent riders ; they use the ordinary saddle of 
the cavalier instead of the side-saddle of more northern lands, and wear the 
Peruvian spur. 

Our friends passed a fortnight in Lima very pleasantly, making excur- 
sions in the neighborhood, and trying the baths at Chorillos, where the 
fashionable population goes for its seaside sports. Two days were devoted 
to a visit to Pachacamac, which is in the valley of the Lurin River, about 
twenty miles south of Lima, and overlooking the sea. What they saw 
and did is best told in Fred's account of the journey. 

"We went from Chorillos," said Fred, " and had a ride that was not 
particularly pleasant, over the dusty road leading to the seaport of Pisco, 



A VISIT TO PACHACAMAC. 



163 




NATIVE WOMEN OP LIMA. 



farther down the coast. Between Chorillos and the valley of the Lurin is 
a stretch of desert, and the sun beat pitilessly on our heads as we toiled 
along. Reaching the valley, we turned up the banks of the stream, and a 
short ride near its welcome waters brought us to the place we sought. 

" Pachacamac is a famous spot in Peru, or, rather, it was so in ancient 
times. Its ruins cover a considerable space along a line of hills on the 
edge of the desert. The sand has drifted over some of the buildings and 
completely buried them, and we wero forcibly reminded of the ruins at 



164 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Thebes, and other places in Egypt, not forgetting the grand temples that 
stood near the pyramids of Gizeh. 

" Pachacamac was the sacred city of the inhabitants of this part of the 
coast before they were conquered by the Incas; their chief divinity, whose 
name is preserved in the city, had his shrine here, and when the Incas 
conquered the place they built a Temple of the Sun, and a House of the 
Virgins of the Sun, quite near the shrine of Pachacamac. It was then- 
object to destroy the worship of the old divinity by building a grander 
temple to the new, but they were not altogether successful. There was 
an enormous amount of sold and silver used in the construction and 




RUINS OF PACHACAMAC. 



adornment of the temples; the Spaniards took away twenty-seven cargas 
of gold (a carga weighs sixty-two and a half pounds), and sixteen thousand 
ounces of silver, but they were unable to discover the place where four 
hundred cargas of these metals had been concealed just previous to their 
: arrival. 

" We had quite a scramble among the ruins, as the walls are consider- 
ably broken, and the footing is often very insecure. "We visited the shrine 
of Pachacamac, or, rather, the temple which contained it, and then went to 
the temple near it, erected by the Incas. The first is called 'El Castillo,' 
or The Temple, and the other is known as Mamacuna. The temple is on 
a hill, or headland, five hundred feet above the ocean, and the front of it 



REMAINS OF AN ANCIENT TEMPLE. 



165 



extends down to the shore. It has been considerably shaken by the earth- 
quakes, of which there must have been many since the time of its erection, 
and the wonder is that it is so well preserved. 

" There was evidently a wall around the base of the hill ; the slope of 
the hill was formed into terraces, and its upper part is supported by a ter- 
race thirty-two feet high. In the 
centre of this upper part was the 
shrine of the deity, enclosed in a 
sanctuary which had a door of gold 
set with precious stones. But if the 
outside was beautiful, the inside was 
the reverse, as the Spaniards found 
only an idol of wood there, together 
with a flat stone where the priests 
performed their sacrifices. The old 
historians say that only the priests 
were allowed to go inside the sanetu- 
ary ; when the Spaniards arrived 
there was no objection to their en- 
tering, as it was believed the deity 

would strike them dead for their sacrilege. The fact that they were not 
harmed, but proceeded without hesitation to plunder the place of its 
wealth, was a serious shock to the faith of these confiding natives. 

"Mr. Squier's book contains an excellent description of the place, and 
we sat down on the top of the hill and read his account of his visit to 




HEAD OF PERUVIAN STATUE. 




TERRACED SPACE ON A HILL-TOP. 



Pachacamac. He says that in ancient times it was the Mecca of South 
America, and pilgrims came here from all parts of the country to worship 
at the shrine of the divinity who was called ' The Creator of the World.' 



166 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



So great was the reverence in which it was held, that these pilgrims were 
allowed to pass unharmed through tribes and people with whom their own 
might be at war; the sacredness of their mission was an ample protection. 
" The natural result of this pilgrimage was that there was a large town 
around the temple, and in course of time many thousands of people died 
here, and were buried on the consecrated spot. The whole ground, for 
many acres around the temple, seems to have been one vast cemetery ; the 
soil is dry, and contains a good deal of nitre, which possesses excellent 
preservative qualities. There are thousands and thousands of what are 
generally called mummies now \ying in this soil, where they have lain for 





PERUVIAN MUMMIES. 



centuries ; they were not submitted to any mummifying process, like the 
bodies of the ancient Egyptians, but are preserved by the action of the 
salts of the earth and the aridity of the atmosphere. 

" Some men who came with us from a sugar plantation in the valley 
offered to find a grave, and reveal its contents. We assented, and they 
selected a spot, and began to dig. 

" We had a suspicion that they had dug in the same place before, and 
the grave they discovered had been opened many times previously for the 
benefit of visitors like ourselves. We remember that the same trick is 
practised in Egypt, especially at the temple in the neighborhood of the 
Great Pyramids, and saw no reason why it should not be adopted here. 
With this belief we had less compunction at disturbing the resting-place 
of the dead than we might have had otherwise. 

" The men dug four or five feet through the dry soil, and then came to 



CUSTOMS OF ANCIENT PERUVIANS. 



167 




SKPULCHRAL TOWER. 



a flat stone which they uncovered with great pretence of not knowing how 
large it was. It was about three feet square, and, perhaps, four inches 
thick, so that two of them had no difficulty in turning it over. Under the 

stone was a cavity measuring a trifle 
over a yard each way, and containing 
two bundles that had little resem- 
blance to the human form. These 
were lifted out so that we might ex- 
amine them ; the outside wrappings 
were removed from one of them, and 
we then found that they covered a 
human figure, doubled so that the 
hands were clasped around the knees, 
and the head rested upon them. Onr 
guide said this is invariably the posi- 
tion in which the mummies are 
found, and they are generally con- 
tained in a wrapping of coarse matting made of rushes, and bound with 
ropes or cords of the same material. 

"It was the custom of the ancient Peruvians to bury with their dead 
the implements to which they were accustomed in life, and this may be 
taken to indicate their belief in a resurrection. Household utensils, 
combs, needles, wallets, spindles for spinning, knives, fishing-hooks and 
lines, spools of thread, knitting-needles, toilet articles, spoons, pottery, and 
many other things are found here, and the same is the case in excavations 
in other parts of Peru. We discovered only a few pieces of pottery and 
two knives of copper, and then we left the grave to be re-filled, or treated 
according to the taste of the inhabitants of the place. 

"The character of the wrappings, and the arti- 
cles found in the graves, indicate the condition in 
life of the occupants of this Peruvian cemetery. 
Mr. Sqnier says the burial-place at Pachacamac 
contains three series of graves one above the other, 
indicating that the spot was for a very long while 
dedicated to sepulture. lie opened one of the 
second series of tombs, which evidently belonged 
to a family in middle circumstances, neither rich 
nor poor. 

" The bodies were all wrapped as I have de- ^T*Z!^Z„ t „ 

r r GOLDEN VASE FOUND IN 

scribed, but underneath the covering of coarse a tomb. 




168 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




SILVKR VASE. 



rushes were many yards of fine cloth, 
similar to that which the Egyptians 
placed around their mummies. The 
tomb contained the bodies of a man, 
his wife, and two children ; the play- 
things of the children were buried with 
them, and between the feet of the girl 
was a dried parrot, which was doubtless 
her pet. Near the bodies were several 
pieces of pottery, and every pot contained 
something. One was filled with maize 
or corn, another with ground-nuts, and 
the rest with edibles of different kinds. 
The collection of pots and pans was 

quite interesting, and revealed some of the domestic ways of the people. 
"You will naturally ask how long these bodies have been lying here 

where w T e find them. 

" The question is easier asked than answered. Unfortunately for us, 

the Peruvians had no system of writing, like the ancient Egyptians, and 

therefore there are no records by which we can learn their history. To 

get at the antiquity of the people we must 

judge by the traditions that have come down to 

us and by the effect of time upon the monuments 

they have left. This enables us to guess at the 

date of the construction of their temples, and 

it is proper to remark that the guesses of archae- 
ologists who have studied the subject have been 

very far apart. 

"The government of the Incas, which the 

Spaniards found and destroyed, is supposed to 

have existed not less than five hundred years, 

though some writers give it twice or three times 

that duration. When the Spaniards came here 

they found nearly all of what is now Peru, Ecua- 
dor, Bolivia, and a part of Chili united under 

one form of government, under three great tribes 

or families : the Aymaraes, the Chinchas, and the 

Huancas. The first of these, the Aymaraes, 

was the ruling race, and from it came the Incas 

or emperors. They occupied the high lands of 




PERUVIAN IDOL. 



THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN. 



169 



Peru and Bolivia, and were said to have 
been more advanced in civilization than 
either of the others ; the Chinchas dwelt 
mostly along the coast, while the Hnancas 
were scattered through the mountain region 
between the Aymaraes and the Chinchas. 

" Gradually the Aymaraes conquered 
the other great tribes, and their system of 
conquest and colonization is an interesting 
study. 

" The tradition is that the tutelary 
divinity, the sun, sent his own children 
to instruct and govern the people, who 
were at war with each other, and had 
sunk into a condition of barbarism. 
These children of the sun were Manco 
Capac and his sister and wife, Mama 
Oello ; they appeared first on an island 
in Lake Titicaca, and the island was ever 
afterwards regarded as holy. There are 
many temples around the lake and on the 

island to which they descended from heaven ; we shall have more to say 
about these temples at another time. 




PERUVIAN COPPEK KNIVES. 




RUINS ON TITICACA ISLAND. 



170 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" From Lake Titicaca, Manco Capac travelled northward, carrying a 
golden staff; during his travels his staff sank into the ground at a cer- 
tain spot, and there he founded the city of Cnzco. Manco Capac was the 
first of a long line of powerful kings, who gradually subdued the sur- 
rounding people and replaced the old religions with the worship of the 
sun. They built magnificent temples, forts, and palaces, and the ruins of 
these works, as they are seen to-day, excite the admiration of every 
traveller. 




PART OF TEMPLE OF THE SUN, CUZCO. 



" To appreciate the wisdom of the Incas, let us consider their manner 
of ruling a conquered province. 

" From Cnzco, the capital, there were roads leading to the four cardinal 
points, and the city was divided into four quarters, which were respec- 
tively named, 'North,' 'South,' ' East,' and 'West.' When their armies 
had reduced a nation or a province, they brought the idols of the con- 
quered people to Cuzco, and treated them with every mark of respect. 
Then they summoned the chiefs and their families to the capital, where 
they showed them every kindness and distinction. When these chiefs had 



THE GOVERNMENT OF THE INCAS. 



171 



IS3SSi5*fiitE 




OUTER WALL OF FORTRESS OF CUZCO. 



been thoroughly instructed concerning the power of the Inca and the 
spirit of his government, they were sent to their homes, and very often 
they were restored to their official positions as representatives of the gov- 
ernment of Cnzco. 

" In the conquered region the taxes were reduced, the poor were cared 
for, and the language of the empire was taught to the children. They 
were instructed in the religion of the Incas in place of their own, but al- 
ways with the greatest respect for the old form of worship. 

" To make sure that there wOuld be no rebellion of the conquered 
people a colony of eight or ten thousand Aymaraes was sent there to live, 
while a similar number of the subjugated nation was brought to the 
towns whence these colonists were taken. Both of the transferred colo- 




STONES IN THE WALL OF CUZCO. 



172 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



nies were given great advantages ; they had many privileges of exemp- 
tion from taxation, received large grants of land, and were made to feel 
in every way that the transfer had been for their benefit. But while the 
Inca government was liberal it was severe; it was the iron hand under 
the velvet glove, and when its kindness was refused or the conquered peo- 
ple rebelled they were made to understand, in the most practical manner, 
that disobedience and rebellion were useless. 

" The four great divisions of the empire were each governed by a 
viceroy, appointed by the central power at Cuzco ; the inhabitants were 
divided into groups of ten thousand, under a native chief and an Inca 




PART OF WALL OF FORTRESS. 



governor, acting together, and these were again subdivided into groups of 
one thousand, one hundred, and ten, each having an official who was re- 
sponsible to the one above him. Eveiy man received an allotment of 
land for the support of himself and family, children were obliged to fol- 
low the occupations of their fathers, no one could change his residence 
without permission, idleness was severely punished, robbers were put to 
death, those who sinned against religion or the majesty of the Inca were 
burned or buried alive with their families, while their houses were de- 
stroyed and their fields devastated. When a province rebelled all the 
men and boys in it were put to death, and the remainder of the popula- 
tion was scattered. 



HOW HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF. 



173 




PERUVIAN TASKS. 



"There ; I've given you quite a lecture on the ancient Peruvians, and 
hope you've not found it dull. Of course I realize that a large part of 
our enthusiasm on the subject comes from our having seen the monu- 
ments of this wonderful people, and read and heard of the way they built 
their nation and extended its power." 

" ' History repeats itself,' " said Dr. Bronson, as our young friend read 
the account we have just quoted. " In the descent of the children of the 
sun we have a repetition of the story of divine origin which has existed 
in many countries and lands since the beginning of governments. Manco 
Capac bears an exceedingly close resemblance to the Egyptian Osiris, the 
Chinese Fohi, the Hindoo Buddha, and the Scandinavian Odin. The 
same idea is preserved to-day in the ' divine right of kings,' which is so 
often quoted, and in which millions of people have implicit faith." 

" History is repeated, too, in another way," said Frank. " The system 
of colonization and government under the Incas reminds me of what we 



174 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



saw in Java, the most successful European colony in the eastern hemi- 
sphere. The government of the people by their own chiefs, supervised 
by an official of the ruling power, the punishment of idleness, and the dis- 
tribution of land so that everybody can earn a living for himself and 
family, might almost have been borrowed from the ancient Peruvians by 
the Dutch possessors of Java and the islands of the Malay Archipelago." 

"It is not very likely the Dutch troubled themselves about ancient 
Peru," replied the Doctor ; " they probably formed their system to suit 
the character of the people they were to govern ; and when we remember 
the natural shrewdness with which their nation is credited we need not 
wonder that they established such an excellent government. It has its 
features of severity, like that of the Incas, but it has been decidedly 
beneficial to the subject race." 

" Is the tradition correct that the people were sunk in barbarism when 
Man co Capac'came on earth ?" Frank inquired. 

" It is a pleasant fiction," replied the Doctor, "invented by the Incas 
as an excuse for their subjugation of the neighboring provinces and king- 
doms. The evidences are that some of the finest monuments of Pern are 
older than the Inca empire, and several of the conquered nations were 





ORNAMENTS OF PERUVIAN WALLS. 



well advanced in civilization, and understood many useful arts and occu- 
pations. Manco Capac began with Cuzco, and then with the country a 
few leagues around it ; his rule and that of his descendants was gradually 
extended until, at the coming of the Spaniards, it embraced forty degrees 
of latitude and a population of ten millions of people. Since the Spanish 
conquest the native population has diminished, and there are now little 
over four millions of inhabitants in the old dominions of the Incas." 

Our friends passed the night at a sugar plantation about two miles 
from the ruins of Pachacamac, and returned the next day to Lima. 
There is now only a small village where once was a large city ; the in- 
habitants are employed on the sugar plantations and in the cultivation of 



A SPEAKING IDOL. 



175 




ANCIENT PALACE AT HUANCO. 



their gardens, which are watered by careful irrigation from the Lurin 
River. The village was burned by the Chilians during the late war, and 
the traces of their devastations will long remain. The inhabitants fled for 
safety, and some of them never found their way back again to their birth- 
places. 

Pachacamac does not contain the only ruins in the neighborhood of 
Lima. At Magdalena, not far from the railway between Callao and the 
capital, is an extensive ruin which was in good condition at the time of the 
Spanish conquest ; the material has been taken for building purposes, so 
that the spot is hardly worth visiting at present. The temple contained 
an idol known as Rimac, whose name is preserved in the river. The idol 
used to speak, after the manner of the oracles of the Egyptian and Greek 
temples, and in exactly the same way ; a priest was concealed in the 



Hi 










DOORWAY CUT THROUGH A SINGLE STONE. 



176 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



statue, which was hollow, and thus the confiding populace was deceived. 
The deceptions of paganism were as well known in the New World as 
in the Old. 

There are ruins near Chorillos which have also undergone demolition 
for the sake of their brick and stone, and in the valley of the River Chil- 

lon, ten miles northwest of Lima, is 
a fortification enclosing a hill about 
five hundred feet high. There is a 
wall at the base of the hill, another 
about half-way up, and a third 
around a level space at the top, 
where there is a watch-tower, with 
several ruined buildings. The up- 
per wall is fourteen feet high and 
made of stones set in tough mortar. 
As the ancient Peruvians had no 
knowledge of gunpowder, a fortress 
of this sort was an excellent protec- 
tion for a garrison. 

Following up the valley of the 
Rimac, twelve or fifteen miles from 
Lima we come to a side valley which 
contains the ruins of Cajamarquilla. It was a city about three miles 
square, laid out into streets and blocks and containing many massive walls 
which the earthquakes have not been able to destroy. The history of this 
city is not even known in tradition, and the natives shake their heads 
when inquiry is made concerning it. The ruins were there when the 
Spaniards came to Peru. 

The buildings of this American Baalbec were extensive and connected 
by narrow passages and subterranean vaults, that seem to have been used 
for storage purposes. The doorways were low and curiously shaped, and 
there are no signs of windows in the houses. 

Frank and Fred desired to visit the place, but as it was said to be the 
haunt of robbers, and not particularly safe, the idea of an excursion was 
abandoned. Mr. Squier had an encounter with a noted robber while in- 
specting these ruins, but a display of his commission from the government 
of the United States secured the good-will of the brigand, and the stran- 
ger was saved from harm. 




CIONTRAL FIGUItK OVKLI DOORWAY. 



RAILWAYS IN PERU. 



177 



CHAPTER X. 

RAILWAYS OVER THE ANDES.— FROM LIMA TO MOLLENDO, AREQUIPA, AND LAKE 
TITICACA.— THE CHINCH A ISLANDS AND THE SODA DESERTS— UP THE ANDES 
BY STEAM. — IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE FOURTEEN THOUSAND FEET ABOVE 

THE SEA. 

TT^ITHIIn" the last twenty years Peru has made earnest efforts to con- 
* ▼ nect her inland cities with the Pacific Ocean by means of rail- 
ways. There are several private lines, the oldest being the short one 




DEEP CUTTING ON A RAILWAY. 



connecting Lima with Callao; it was completed in 1851, and has paid 
handsomely to its projectors. Of the lines built by government there 
are seven in all; five of them are finished and the remainder are in course 

12 



178 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 







AMONG THE FOOT-HILLS. 



of constrnotion (or suspension), with considerable uncertainty as to the 
date of their completion. 

One of the unfinished lines, the Oroya Railway, starts from Callao, and 
is intended to connect that seaport with the silver mines of Cerro de 
Pasco, by a branch from Oroya, and to extend to Fort San Ramon, or 
Mairo, where it will connect with steamboats on the Amazon. It was un- 
dertaken by an American contractor under government guarantee; it has 
cost many millions of dollars, and many other millions will be required 
before the locomotive can make the journey from Callao to Mairo and 
Cerro de Pasco. 

At the time our friends were in Lima the work was suspended, and 
Dr. Bronson learned, in answer to his inquiries, that the terminus was at 



ON THE OROYA RAILWAY. 179 

an insignificant town among the mountains. Trains did not run regu- 
larly, as there was no business to pay the expenses of running them; the 
government was waiting for the country to recover from the effects of 
the war before proceeding with the work. 

One day there was an opportunity to make an excursion to the termi- 
nus, about ninety miles from Lima, and the Doctor at once arranged for 
the trip. They were to leave the capital about nine in the morning, 
spend the night at the terminus, and return early the next day. The 
programme was carried out to the satisfaction of the wandering trio, as we 
shall see by referring to Fred's note-book. 

"We ascended the valley of the Riinac," said Fred, "and in the first 
forty-six miles gained an elevation of five thousand feet. We had only 
two carriages in the train, but the locomotive puffed and tugged as though 
it was drawing three or four times that number. At every mile of our 
advance the route became more and more intricate ; we passed through 
narrow gorges and along the brink of fearful precipices, and time and 
time again we seemed to be in danger of toppling over and falling into 
the abysses below. We were reminded of the passage of the Sierra ISTe- 
vadas by the Central Pacific Railway, in our own country, and of the 
line between Colombo and Randy, in Ceylon. 

" The engineering difficulties here are greater than on either of the 
routes I have mentioned, and greater than anything we have seen in the 
European Alps. The Oroya line is certainly one of the railway wonders 
of the world, and every visitor to Lima should make a point of seeing this 
enormous work. It is doubtful if the government will ever find it profit- 
able, owing to the great cost of construction and the expense of running 
the trains. 

" Flere are a few figures about this railway. I take some of them 
from Professor Orton's book, ' The Andes and Amazon,' and others have 
been given me by the conductor who accompanies us. 

" Eight v-seven miles of the road had been finished when the war be- 
tween Chili and Peru caused a suspension of work. There are sixty-three 
tunnels, with an aggregate length of twenty-one thousand feet, and there 
are thirty bridges of iron or stone. Some of the bridges are of French 
or English manufacture, and others, considered the best, were made in 
America. The Verrugas bridge spans a chasm five hundred and eighty 
feet wide, and rests on three piers of hollow columns of wrought iron. It 
was made at Phenixville, Pennsylvania, at a cost of $63,000; the middle 
pier is two hundred and fifty-two feet high and fifty feet square at its 
base, and the deflection of the bridge is five-eighths of an inch. 



180 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

" The sharpest curve of the road is 395 feet radius, and the maximum 
orade is four per cent. While the work was going on they used two 
hundred and fifty tons of powder every month for blasting the rock ! 
The tunnel to carry the line through the Andes is at an elevation of 
15,645 feet above the sea, the highest railway tunnel in the world, and 
some say the highest point where a piston-rod is moved by steam. 

" To describe our ride would be to give a long succession of exclama- 
tions of wonder, admiration, and enthusiasm, with an occasional sigh of 
relief when dangerous points were passed without accident. It is quite 
possible that our cheeks may have paled at times and flushed at others, 
but of course we could not admit anything of the sort. We were glad 
when the terminus was reached, and the sensation of the journey was 
over. 

"We crawled slowly upward on our eastward way and found it ex- 
citing enough; what shall I say of the return ride, when we had the 
downward grade to take us along, and the only use of the steam in the 
locomotive was to hold us back? The brakes were screwed tightly down, 
and so great is the pressure upon them that their shoes must be renewed 
at the end of every second round trip from Callao and back again. In 
four hours from the terminus we were on the shores of the Pacific, and 
at the end of a journey we shall long remember." 

Two weeks from the time our friends landed at Callao they em- 
barked on the southern-bound steamer from that port, having taken their 
tickets for Mollendo. 

The first landing was at Pisco,.about one hundred miles south of Cal- 
lao, and connected by a short line of railway with the cotton regions of 
lea. As they approached the port they passed the Chincha Islands, 
which have become famous as the place whence millions of tons of guano 
have been brought to Europe and America. Frank and Fred wished to 
know something about the guano trade, and the Doctor kindly informed 
them. 

" The guano was deposited here," said Dr. Bronson, " by the sea-birds, 
and the accumulations have been going on for thousands of years. No 
rain falls here, and consequently there was no water to wash the sub- 
stance away. Mixed with the deposits of the birds were their decom- 
posed bodies and eggs, and the bodies of seals ; the seals climb to the 
highest places on the rocks when they are about to die, and as they were 
very abundant here, it is safe to say that millions of them have died on the 
Chincha Islands. Guano is of great value as a manure ; the ancient Peru- 
vians were well aware of its qualities, and by the laws of the Incas every- 



HOW THE GUANO TRADE BEGAN. 



181 




GUANO ISLANDS. 



body was forbidden, under pain of death, to land on the islands during 
the breeding season, and the same penalty was affixed to killing the birds 
at any time. 

" The guano deposits were first made known to Europe in 1804," the 
Doctor continued, " through a description by Baron von Humboldt. He 
said the islands were covered to a depth of fifty or sixty feet with pure 
guano ; the long ages that had been consumed in the accumulation may 
be understood when he says that during the three centuries since the com- 
ing of the Spaniards the growth had been only a small fraction of an 
inch !" 

"Was it brought to Europe in Humboldt's time?" one of the youths 
inquired. 

"No," was the reply; "the first shipment was made in 1840, and con- 
sisted of twenty barrels, which were taken to Liverpool. It was tried on 
a farm near that city, and resulted so favorably that large orders were 
immediately sent for more. In the following year several cargoes were 
sent from the islands, and from that time the trade increased rapidly. 
Farmers in Europe and America learned the value of guano in making a 
wonderful increase of the producing power of their fields, and the de- 
mand for it became general. 

" From 1851 to 1860 nearly three million tons were shipped from the 

12* 



182 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Chincha Islands, and between 1853 and 1872 it is estimated that eight 
millions tons were sent away. In that year the Chincha Islands were 
practically exhausted. The Peruvians had acted as though they were to 
last forever as a source of revenue, and the discovery of the great value of 
the deposits may be considered the cause of the present bankruptcy of the 
country. They had abolished the taxes and relied upon the Chincha 
Islands for all money needed by government, including the immense 




SKA-BIRDS AT HOMli. 



sums expended in the construction of railways. They appointed agents 
in London and New York for the sale of the guano, and as long as the 
business was prosperous, a great many men grew rich out of the trans- 
actions. 

" As the Chincha Islands gave out other deposits were worked, some 
on the Lobos Islands, others on the Gnanape Islands, and others in Tara- 
paca, but none of them are as rich or extensive as was the original source 
of supply." 



LOADING SHIPS AT THE GUANO ISLANDS. 



183 



The youths looked carefully at the islands with their glasses as the 
steamer proceeded on her course. Dr. Bronson called their attention to 
a solitary ship that was lying close to the cliff of one of the islands, and 
said that in the days of the prosperity of the guano trade there were 
sometimes a hundred ships receiving cargoes or waiting their turns to he 
laden. 

" You observe," said he, " that the sides of the islands are quite bold, 
and in some places precipitous; ships used to lie close to the shore and 
receive their cargoes through long chutes or spouts through which the 
guano was poured from the top of the cliff. The air was full of guano 
dust, and the men engaged in the work suffered greatly from the dust en- 
tering the throat and lungs. Ammonia (hartshorn) is an important in- 
gredient of guano; imagine yourselves breathing an atmosphere heavily 
charged with ammonia, and you can realize the disagreeable features of 
working on a guano island. 

"Convicts were employed here, and also coolies from China; the 
horrors of the coolie trade with Peru have never been fully told, and the 
narration would be most sickening. Thousands of the coolies threw 




SCENE ON A COOLIE SHIP. 



184 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

themselves into the sea to escape the terrible life on these islands; other 
thousands died here as a result of their toil, and the number was only 
kept up by frequent arrivals of ships from Macao, the seat of the coolie 
trade in China." 

" There are three islands," said Fred, " but they do not seem to be 
large ones. I should judge that the most northerly is the largest, and it 
is not more than half a mile long by a third in width." 

"You have estimated very well," was the reply. "The northern 
island is called Chincha, and gives the name to the group, and it is about 
the length and width you mention. The other two are smaller, but are 
of the same formation as Chincha, a bright red granite composed of red 
feldspar, white quartz, and a little mica. The group is evidently of vol- 
canic origin, and perhaps it may one day disappear beneath the waves as 
other volcanic islands have done. 

" Guano can only accumulate where there is no rain," continued their 
mentor, " and there is another source of wealth here that comes from the 
rainless district." 

"What is that?" 

" It is the nitrate of soda," answered the Doctor, " which comes from 
several desert regions in the southern part of Peru, chiefly in the prov- 
ince of Tarapaca, which has been annexed to Chili since the war, and is 
Peruvian territory no longer. It has many uses in industrial arts, and is 
largely employed as a fertilizer; the deposits have been worked since 
1830, and the chief points of export are Iquique and Pisagna. In twenty 
years from 1830 the exports were 210,000 tons, and in 1875 no less than 
326,000 tons were exported. In 1877 there were 253 ships that cleared 
from Iquique alone with cargoes of nitrates. Several of the railways 
constructed by the Peruvian government, or on private account, were built 
partly or wholly for the transportation of this article." 

The steamer stopped very briefly at Pisco, and there was not time to 
go on shore. From Pisco to Mollendo they were almost constantly in 
sight of the coast, and sometimes hugging it closely ; the mountains of 
the western cordillera of the Andes filled the eastern horizon, and occa- 
sionally the snowy peaks of the great central chain were visible. The 
principal chain of mountains in South America is called the Andes, and 
sometimes the JVevadas (white), to distinguish it from the cordillera 
(cov-de-yer-nx), by which the lateral and lower chains, generally parallel to 
the Andes, are designated. Sierra (from the Spanish word for saw) is a 
spur, or irregular line, of mountains stretching from the Andes to the 
cordillera, or pushing out from the latter into the flat J > ara?na, or desert. 



THE HARBOR OF MOLLENDO. 



185 



Mollendo is the ocean terminus of the railway to Arequipa and Lake 
Titicaca, the present destination of the boy travellers and their elder com- 
panion. The town is on the edge of the desert, and the harbor is an 
open roadstead, like most of the ports of the western coast. An old cap- 
tain sarcastically remarked, " the harbor of Mollendo is entered as soon as 
the ship turns Cape Horn." The town is supplied with water by an iron 
pipe eighty-five miles long, which starts from near Arequipa, and is capa- 
ble of discharging 430,000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours. 
Enormous tanks have been constructed, to maintain a supply for several 





Mm 



1 V 












ON THE EDGE OF THE DESERT. 



days, in case of accident to the aqueduct, and these tanks are the principal 
sights of the place. 

The surf was breaking on the rocky shore, and our friends had a nar- 
row escape from a drenching in going from the ship to the land. Fortu- 
nately they arrived in the morning, about an hour before the time for the 
departure of the train for Arequipa, and had not long to wait. 

The railway followed the coast for a short distance, and then turned 
northeastwardly, and began climbing the hills which formed the outward 
barrier of the lofty Andes. Up and onward zigzagged the train, through 



186 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the barren hills that lead to the desert of Islay, and then ont upon 
the dusty stretch of the desert, which it crossed in a line whose directness 
was in marked contrast to its tortuous course among the hills. At regu- 
lar intervals there were tanks which supply the locomotives with water ; 
they are fed from the aqueduct already mentioned, and wherever they 
have leaked, and moistened the dust, the grass grows luxuriantly. It is 
sixty miles across the desert; before the railway was constructed the 
journey was made on the backs of donkeys, and it was customary to cross 
it in the night, in consequence of the great heat and glare when the sun 
is shining. 

Frank copied into his note-book the following account of a traveller 
who crossed the desert 'from the coast to Arequipa, which he failed to 
reach before sunrise: 

"About five o'clock a clear whiteness appeared in the sky, the stars 
paled their lustre, and the day began to break. Soon a ruddy orange tint 
spread over the soil of the pampa, now become firm and compact. In a 
few minutes the disk of the sun appeared above the horizon ; and as we 
marched full in the front of the god of day, we found ourselves in the 




INDIANS OF AREQUIPA. 



CROSSING THE DESERT TO AREQUIPA. 



187 



midst of a luminous torrent, which so dazzled and incommoded us that to 
escape from this new torture we doubled ourselves up like hedgehogs. 



*i Hi, . 



'<.' "i 



li; 



! ■' : 

lliflfl^w'ffi 1 ill' W 

"J;', I 

ill ^im 

11 'UmB ' ' I lis '" ■-■ 
";> ..fliliipii 

, H| j ! i 



HEP*! fHraP^i I 



IMS ~ ~- -- •• i, | 




■!,,> 



This anomalous and inconvenient posture rendered us unjust to the claims 
of the rising sun. Instead of welcoming his appearance we were inclined 



188 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

to wish he had remained out of sight, and it was not till eight o'clock 
that the sun, now high above the horizon, permitted ns to raise our heads." 

"We did not suffer any of this inconvenience," said Frank, in his 
description of the journey, "as we were protected by the carriages, and 
could take any position we liked. When the sun passed the meridian we 
could look ahead without receiving the glare in our eyes; it was a great 
relief when we saw the peaks of the snow-clad mountains, and in a little 
while the eastern horizon was filled with them. Back of Arequipa was 
the lofty summit of Misti, one of the grandest of the South American 
volcanoes, then came Chichani, with its precipitous sides, and beyond it, 
farther to the north, was Coropuno. 

"As we entered Arequipa ('Place of Eest') we thought of Damascus, 
to which it has been compared by more than one traveller. Like Damas- 
cus, it stands on the edge of the desert, and, also like that Oriental city, it 
is watered by a river which nourishes its gardens, and creates a spot of 
living green in the midst of an arid waste. It stands in a valley ten 
miles long by five in width, but all around the valley is a desert. There 
is not sufficient water for purposes of irrigation ; land that is well irri- 
. gated is worth a thousand dollars an acre, as it is wonderfully fertile and 
produces abundantly. 

"We spent a day in Arequipa, which was a station under the Inca 
government before the city w r as founded by Pizarro, in 1540. At every 
step we saw traces of the terrible havoc wrought by the earthquake of 
1868; there was not a block without its pile of ruins, and some of the 
streets reminded us of Pompeii, or of Old Delhi. Churches were reduced 
to a mass of rubbish, the towers of the cathedral were demolished, the 
university was a heap of ruins, and hundreds of the houses were still un- 
occupied. 

"According to the accounts written at the time, the first shock of the 
earthquake was felt about five o'clock in the afternoon. There was a 
slight tremor of the ground, which increased at intervals of fifteen or 
twenty seconds; it was not until fully a minute after the first shock that 
the buildings began to fall, and consequently the inhabitants had time to 
escape to the streets. Compared with Ibarra and other cities, the loss of 
life was small. The sick in the hospital and prisoners in the carcel were 
unable to flee, and were buried in the falling ruins, and it was estimated 
that about three hundred others were killed. Before the earthquake the 
city had a population of not far from fifty thousand ; it is now estimated 
at forty thousand, with the probability of an increase to the old figure in 
consequence of the revival of commerce by the opening of the railway. 



MANUFACTURES AND TRADE. 



189 



" Our attention was drawn to the use of galvanized iron for the domes 
of the buildings in place of stone, which was the material formerly em- 
ployed. It is thought the next earthquake will have less effect than 
former ones, since iron can withstand what stone cannot. There is a 
great scarcity of wood here, or it would be popular in the construction of 
houses. Wooden houses can hold out against earthquakes better than 
those of more solid materials, as they can be twisted a great deal before 
falling. The best material I have ever seen for this purpose is a network 
of bamboo, plastered on both sides to fill the chinks between the poles 
and withes. 




THE OLD WAY OF TRAVEL. 



"We asked for the manufactures of Arequipa, but we asked in vain. 
There was formerly a considerable commerce with the interior, but at 
present there are no industries beyond the trade in alpaca wool which is 
the support of the city. There are only a few mercantile houses, and 
these are mostly German or English, and the chief occupation of the in- 
habitants is to do nothing. We saw only two men displaying anything 
like activity; they had quarrelled, and one was pursuing the other with a 
knife in his hand, but though he ran fast he did not overtake his intended 
victim. 

" The altitude of Arequipa is 7650 feet above the sea ; the summit 
of Misti, a most picturesque volcano, rises behind the city to a height of 
18,500 feet, very much as Etna rises behind Catania. It is now silent, but 



190 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



it was fearfully active in 1868, and is liable again to burst forth as the 
accompaniment of another earthquake. 

" The population is as uncertain, politically and socially, as the ground 
on which their city stands, if we may judge by the frequency with which 
they indulge in revolutions and insurrections. In three hundred years 
there have been ten or twelve severe earthquakes and innumerable smaller 
shocks ; in the same time there have been at least a dozen revolts, while 
plots against the peace and dignity of the state are said to be constantly 
going on. In 1867 the city was bombarded for three days by the presi- 
dent of the republic, who failed to capture it, and it has several times been 
shaken by war as well as by earthquakes." 

After their day in this famous city our friends started by railway for 
Puno, on the shore of Lake Titicaca, two hundred and eighteen miles 
away. Crossing an iron bridge as it left the city, the train soon began to 
ascend among the desert hills, and through masses of volcanic rock and 
cinders which gave plain proof that the mighty Chichani had not always 
been as quiet as at present. Dr. Bronson called the attention of the 
youths to the magnificent engineering, and the conductor informed them 
that on this one division of the road the excavations and fillings amount- 
ed to ten millions of cubic yards. "They are said to be the deepest 
cuttings and fillings in the world," said he, " and I certainly have never 
heard any one say they were not. The deepest cutting is one hundred 




VIKVV OF LAKE TITICACA. 



STUPENDOUS ENGINEERING 

iiiiiiisiii 



191 




and twenty-seven feet, and the deepest filling one hundred and forty 



one. 



"And bear in mind/' said the Doctor, "that this work was performed 



192 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

far up in the mountains, where exertion is very fatiguing, and water boils 
before it is much more than scalding hot. Beans and other articles of 
food can only be cooked in closed cans to increase the pressure, and con- 
sequently the temperature." 

On and up they went among the mountains, and over the dreary 
pampas stretching between them, crossing deep ravines, winding around 
precipices, threading the valleys, darting through tunnels, now on a level 
with the banks of snow on the sides of the giant mountains, or looking 
down upon the clouds that rolled at their feet. Ten, twelve, thirteen, 
and fourteen thousand feet of elevation were reached, and at length the} 7 
halted at Yincamayo, 14,443 feet above the level of the sea. It is the 
creation of the railway, with an American hotel, and all the adjuncts of a 
relay and repairing station. It is the highest village in the world, higher 
than famous Potosi, and higher, too, than Cerro de Pasco. Place another 
Mount Washington on the top of the present one, and its summit would 
be nearly two thousand feet lower than Yincamaj^o. 

Professor Orton passed a night at Vincamayo; he says he did not 
sleep, but spent the time in panting for breath. Our friends had the same 
experience with the rarefied air; the least movement caused them to 
breathe with difficulty, and they wisely refrained from stirring from their 
places. In a little while the train reached Alto del Crncero, the highest 
point of the line, and 14,660 feet above the Pacific at Mollendo. The 
surrounding land was simply a bog covered with short grass, and sprinkled 
in places with snow. It affords pasture for alpacas and vicunas, and as 
they looked from the windows of the carriage and shivered in the chilly 
atmosphere they saw numerous herds of these animals feeding on the 
plain. 

From the summit the descent was gradual, among hills and over desert 
plains, passing between two lakes of brackish water, and along the banks 
of a river that had its source among the clouds. By and by the waters 
of Lake Titicaca were in sight, and beyond them rose the grand old peak 
of the Nevada de Sorata, sometimes called "the crown of the Andes." 

The train ended its journey at Puno, on the shore of the lake, and the 
three travellers stepped again to the earth, with more than twelve thou- 
sand feet of perpendicular distance below them to the level of the sea! 



AN ELEVATED CITY. 



193 



CHAPTEE XL 

PUNO AND LAKE TITICACA.— COCA AND ITS PROPERTIES.— THE LLAMA AND HIS 
KINDRED.— EXCURSION TO THE SACRED ISLAND OF THE INCAS. 

PUNO is not an attractive spot. Lying at a great elevation, it has a 
cool climate, and its inhabitants pass a good part of the time in trj 7 - 
ing to keep warm. There are no trees in the neighborhood ; before the 
opening of the railway the only fuel was the dried dung of llamas and 




VIEW ON LAKE TITICACA. 



other animals, and a small shrub known as tola. The nights are always 
cold, the thermometer sometimes descending fifteen degrees below the 
freezing-point, and even touching zero ; people retire to bed very early, 
and remain there till after sunrise, as the best means of escaping the cold. 

13 



194 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Frank and Fred were obliged to follow the local custom, in spite of their 
overcoats and rugs: Notwithstanding the severe temperature of the place, 
the means of warming the houses do not receive much attention. Since 
the railway came, and rendered it possible to have coal, a few stoves have 
been set up, but they are not in general use. 

Nine tenths of the five thousand inhabitants of Puno are of the native 
races; the Aymaraes occupy the southern part of the town, and the Qui- 
chitas the northern, the former being the most numerous. The rest, which 
includes the wealthier and more intelligent fraction of the population, 
is made up of people of Spanish descent, a few German and English 




PERUVIAN HEADS, ANCIENT AND MODERN. 



merchants, and two or three American attaches of the railway. Puno 
owed its origin to the rich silver mines in the neighborhood, which were 
discovered and operated about two hundred years ago. A romantic story 
is told concerning these mines, and the romance is by no means free from 
tragedy. 

Jose de Salcedo, a Spaniard, was in love with an Indian girl, and was 
beloved in return. She revealed to him the secret of the mines, and he 
worked them with enormous profit ; his wealth attracted the attention of 
the royal officers, who found a pretext for arresting him, and taking him 
to Lima. He was condemned to death, and his property was confiscated 



HOW THE INDIANS KEPT A SECRET. 



195 



to the government, which meant that the officials expected to transfer his 
wealth to their own pockets. Salcedo offered to pay a thousand marks of 
silver a day if they would wait until he could appeal to the king, but his 
offer was refused. 

He was executed in the public square at Lima, and the governors pro- 
ceeded to take possession of his property. He was well liked by the tribe 
to which his Indian maiden belonged, and as soon as the natives heard 
what had been done they stopped the drains of the mines, and flooded 
them with water. There is now a small lake over the entrance of the 
mine, and the Indians have ever since refused to give any information 
concerning the extent of the deposit, or the direction of the veins. These 
people will keep a secret with the utmost fidelity ; torture cannot wring it 
from them, and they are indifferent to bribes or any other inducement. 
At the present time they know of rich deposits of silver in various parts 
of the country, but absolutely refuse to give any information concerning 
them. 

" The Cathedral of Puno," said Fred, in his note-book, " is the most 
elevated building of its size in the world. It was begun in 1757, and is an 
imposing structure, with a specially handsome front ; it is at one side of 
the grand plaza, where every morning is held the market for the sale of 




CATHEDRAL OF PUNO. 



196 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




QUICHUA WOMAN (FROM A PHOTOGRAPH). 

provisions. We visited the market the morning after onr arrival, and 
were greatly interested in what we saw and learned there. 

" Most of the sales are managed by women, who sit on the ground in 
rows stretching away from the fountain in the centre of the plaza, each 
with little heaps of dried potatoes, fish, charqui (dried beef), peppers, 
beans, pease, maize, barley, and similar things for sale. Each heap has a 
price fixed for it, and the rise and fall of the market are regulated by the 
size of the heap, the price remaining the same. Pease, beans, and pepper 
come from the coast, as they do not grow at the altitude of Puno; flour 
is too dear to be used by the lower classes, though it has fallen somewhat 
since the opening of the railway. Beans and pease must be reduced to 
powder before cooking, at this altitude, and potatoes are frozen, and then 
dried and pulverized, like the beans and pease. 



SOUTH AMERICAN COCA. 



197 



" We were guided through the market by one of the English-speaking 
residents, who called our attention to coca, which was sold as an article of 
food, in the form of dried leaves. We had already seen the leaves, and 
heard of their qualities, but this was the first time we had seen them for 
sale at the side of the usual articles for supplying the table. Our inform- 
ant said that coca possessed wonderful properties; I will give his words as 
nearly as I can remember them : 

" ' Coca is the dried leaf of the shrub erythroxylon, and is called cuca 




COCA PLANT. 



198 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

by the natives. It grows in the mountainous parts of Peru and Bolivia, 
at elevations varying from two to six thousand feet, and is a shrub or small 
tree about six feet high. Its leaves are gathered, and dried in the sun, 
and are chewed with a little quicklime, in much the same way that the 
natives of India and the Malay regions chew the leaf of the betel or areca 
palm, and certain Americans chew tobacco. Its effect is narcotic and 
stimulating, and the most remarkable stories are told of the endurance of 
the people who use it. 

" A Peruvian or Bolivian Indian will travel for days without any sign 
of weariness, with only a small supply of coca and some dried maize ; he 
chews the coca while walking, and it really seems to be his chief reliance. 
He will work or travel for twenty or thirty hours continuously, without 
sleep or rest, if he is allowed plenty of coca ; Indians have been known to 
travel seventy miles a day for three days with no other sustenance than 
this article. In the silver mines, where the employers feed their laborers, 
they limit the quantity of other supplies, but give the Indians all the coca 
they want.' 

" I asked if there were no unpleasant after-effects from the use of this 
drug, as in the case of opium and other narcotics. 

" ' Unhappily there are,' was the reply, ' but they are usually less serious 
than in the case of opium. Sometimes the habit increases to such a degree 
that the stomach cannot retain other food, and there is a constant craving 
for coca. The system cannot be sustained by this stimulant alone ; the 
victim is reduced to a skeleton, becomes feverish and restless, and ulti- 
mately dies in consequence of his passion. But, as far as I have been able 
to learn since my residence in the country, the deaths from coca are not 
near as numerous, in proportion to those who use it, as those from opium, 
in China and other parts of the far East.' 

" Dr. Bronson said that an extract or alkaloid of coca, called cocaine, 
had recently come into use in Europe and America as an anaesthetic, for 
operations on the eye, and other sensitive parts of the human organization. 
The patient is fully conscious of what is going on, but does not experience 
the least pain. Its properties as a local anaesthetic were discovered in 
1884, by Dr. Koller, of Vienna; and it is freely used by oculists in New 
York and elsewhere. It is a very costly substance, being worth some 
hundreds of dollars an ounce, but the quantity used for paralyzing the 
nerves of the eye during an operation is surprisingly small. One or two 
drops of a solution containing from two to four per cent, of cocaine are 
generally sufficient for a short operation, and twice or three times that 
quantity, at intervals of five or ten minutes, for a longer one. 



THE FOUR SHEEP OF THE INCAS. 



199 



" Thirty million pounds of coca are annually consumed in South 
America. The finest is grown in the Yungas district, in Bolivia, where it 
is cultivated somewhat as tea is cultivated in China. Its properties were 
known to the ancient Peruvians, and it was used in their religious cere- 
monies ; it received divine honors, and under some of the Incas its use 
was reserved for the nobility. Even at this day the Indians sometimes 
put coca in the mouths of their dead, just as the ancient Greeks placed an 
obolus in the mouth of a corpse to insure its ferriage over the Styx. The 
miners of Peru throw quids of coca against the veins of silver, under the 
belief that it causes them to be more easily worked. 

"So much for coca. Another curiosity of Puno is the large number of 
llamas we see in the streets, either 
running at large or used as beasts of 
burden. The llama, guanaco, alpaca, 
and vicuna were ' the four sheep of 
the Incas,' according to Professor 
Orton ; the first clothing the com- 
mon people, the second the nobles, 
the third the royal governors, and 
the fourth the Incas. Llamas and 
alpacas are domesticated ; guanacos 
and vicunas are wild. They all go 
in flocks, and, in their wild state, one 
of their number always keeps watch ; 
if danger threatens he stamps his 
feet, and gives the alarm, and it must 
be a very swift pursuer that can over- 
take them. 

" The four animals belong to the 
same family, and some naturalists say 

the llama is nothing more than the domesticated guanaco. The llama is 
found all through South America, from northern Peru to the Strait of 
Magellan ; it has been well described as having the head of a camel, the 
body of a deer, the wool of a sheep, and the neigh of a horse. It prefers 
a cold climate to a warm one; in the torrid zone it lives at a high eleva- 
tion, while on the cool plains of Patagonia, near the level of the sea, it is 
found in great numbers. In Patagonia it is not domesticated, but in Peru, 
Bolivia, and Chili it is used as a beast- of burden ; it is about three feet 
high at the shoulder, and its head five feet when the animal stands erect. 
It can carry a burden of not more than a hundred pounds, lives on very 




200 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




ANCIENT GATEWAY NEAR PUNO. 



scanty food, endures cold without suffering, and requires no drink as long 
as it can find succulent herbage. The pens where the animals are shut up 
at night have no shelter against the cold winds, which they do not mind 
in the least, and they are said to require very little care from one year's 
end to another. 

"Those that we saw in the streets seemed to have things their own way, 
and to be indifferent to the presence of men ; but when we tried to ap- 
proach one he refused our acquaintance and walked away. When angry 
the llama stamps his feet, and ejects a saliva that causes a burning sensa- 
tion if it falls on the unprotected skin ; we did not care to make the ex- 
periment, and therefore refrained from irritating one of the animals. 

"The alpaca is not used as a beast of burden, but is reared for its wool 
flesh, and skin, especially the former. You know that the alpaca wool is 
fine; so is that of the vicuna, which closely resembles the alpaca. The 
wool of the llama is about six inches long, and its fleece often weighs ten 
pounds. The llama is interesting from being the only native domesticated 
animal in South America. The horse, ox, sheep, hog, and all other ani- 
mals useful to man, came from other countries. 

" The principal sport of some parts of South America, especially of 
Patagonia, is the chase of the llama or guanaco. The hunters go on horse- 
back or on foot, and 'stalk' their game by moving slowly towards them, 
being always careful not to alarm the animals. In this way they may get 
near enough for a shot with their rifles, but very often the guanacos are 
wary, and decline close acquaintance. Every hunter who can afford it 
keeps a lot of dogs trained to the chase, and it is interesting to see how 
well they understand their work. 



CHASING THE GCANACO. 



201 



" If the guanacos are grazing singly on the plains the chances of over- 
taking them are doubtful, even for the swiftest and strongest dogs. But 
when a herd is being chased each animal tries to crowd into the centre 
of it, and so much confusion is caused that the aggregate speed is consid- 
erably diminished. Knowing this, the dogs are always eager to pursue a 
herd, while they look with indifference upon a solitary guanaco." 

When the subject of llamas and their kindred was under discussion, 
Frank suggested that it would be a good plan to introduce the llama into 
the United States, and wondered why it had not been done. Visions of 
a Llama Stock Company filled his mind, but they were dispelled by Dr. 
Bronson, who said the experiment had been tried, and was a failure. 

"When was it made?" the youth inquired. 

" In 1857," was the reply ; "and the singular fact is that the difficulty 
in adapting the llama to our country is that the food he obtains is too 
good for him. What we give to our cattle and sheep does not seem to 
agree with him ; he prefers inferior grasses, together with pea-vines, bean- 
stalks, straw, and such things, which our cattle would starve upon ; and 
where he has been turned out to graze in low regions he invariably suf- 




THE VICUNA. 



202 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fers from disease of the skin. In 1857 somebody shipped seventy-two of 
these animals from Peru to 'New York; only thirty-eight lived to reach 
the city, and were wintered on a farm on Long Island. In the spring 
those that remained were sold for museums and menageries, and some of 
them were sent to Australia. It is quite possible that the llama would 
thrive on the great plains between the Missouri River and the Rocky 
Mountains; the only difficulty would be in protecting the herds from the 
lawless hunters until they had become sufficiently numerous and wild to 
take care of themselves as the antelopes do." 

After a glance at the town, with its open market and massive cathe- 



f 

: mi 

1 



■MHN 












HE*. 

INDIANS AND LLAMA AMONG THE RUINS. 

dral, our friends strolled to the shore of the bay on which Puno is built. 
It is a sluggish body of water, fringed all around with tortora or rushes, 
which grow profusely, and serve many purposes. They are used for 
making baskets, lining the walls of houses, filling beds, thatching roofs, 
and in other ways are of material advantage to the inhabitants of the 
region bordering the lake. They are an important item of fuel, though 
they burn too quickly to give off much heat; cattle feed upon these 
rushes, and as our friends stood on the shore of the bay they saw cows 
and oxen in the water nearly up to their backs, making their breakfasts 
on tortora. 



EXTENT OF LAKE TITICACA. 



203 




CATTLE FEEDING ON RUSHES, LAKE TI11CACA. 



Some distance out from the shore a steamboat was lying at anchor. 
The guide said there were two steamboats on the lake, but the shallow- 
ness of the water prevented their coming up to Puno ; they were obliged 
to communicate with the land by means of small boats, which were rowed 
or pushed along the narrow channel through the bed of reeds. These 
steamboats were placed on the lake before the construction of the rail- 
way ; they were brought in pieces on the backs of mules, and put together 
on the shore. Other steamboats were promised, and it was expected that 
the railway would lead to a considerable commercial development which 
might require a dozen boats in the next decade. 

Lake Titicaca is about one hundred and twenty miles long by fifty or 
sixty in breadth, and its greatest measurement is nearly north and. south. 
It stands in an immense basin, roughly estimated to be six hundred miles 
long by two hundred broad, or three times the area of the State of New 
York. It receives several large streams, and discharges into Lake Aulla- 
gas ; the latter lake has not been carefully surveyed, and though our 
friends made diligent inquiry they could learn very little about its size, 
or the nature and direction of its outlet. The lake is very deep in 
places ; it never freezes over, but ice forms sometimes in the bays and 
shallow places. 

Arrangements were made for a trip on the lake to visit Titicaea and 
Coati islands, for an inspection of the monuments of the Incas and their 
predecessors. Through the influence of the officials to whom he brought 
letters of introduction, Dr. Bronson engaged the steamboat for a moderate 



204 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



compensation, which included the wages and board of the crew, but left 
the passengers to take care of themselves. A supply of canned and 
other provisions was readily obtained from a merchant of Puno, and in a 
few hours the party was under wa}\ The captain wanted to wait until 
the next morning, but the Doctor realized that one delay would be an 
excuse for another, and wisely insisted upon leaving the same afternoon. 



&,r. 




TORTORA BKIDGE OVER THE OUTLET OF LAKE TITTCACA. 



While they were waiting for the small boat to carry them to the 
steamer Frank made a sketch of the head-dress of one of the Aymara 
women who was looking on at their proceedings. It had a cap fitting 
close to the head, and held in place by strings under the chin ; near the 
top of the cap w T as a horizontal piece of stiff pasteboard, oval in shape, and 
extending far out from the head on every side. Around the edge was a 
valance of black silk, or some similar material, which partially protected 
the face of the wearer from the sun and wind. It was not unlike a small 
parasol in appearance, and has been worn here from time immemorial. 

The rest of the dress of the Aymara women includes a gown of blue, 
brown, or black material, and a shawl which is fastened at the neck with 
a large pin, shaped somewhat like a spoon. Sometimes a handkerchief is 
fastened around the neck, but it is rarely worn except on gala days. 

The Aymara men wear short trousers, very broad in the legs, and 



incase their feet in sandals, or shoes 
of rawhide. They wear ponchos 
over their shoulders, and on their 
heads they constantly have skull- 
caps, which are covered, when out 
of doors, with broad hats of braided 
grass. Men and women keep the 
hair long; it is invariably black, ex- 
cept in extreme age, when it as- 
sumes the frost that never melts, 
like the hair of people in other 
parts of the world. 

Though living side by side for 
centuries the Aymaraes and Qui- 
chuas preserve their distinctness, 
rarely associating, and never uniting 
in marriage. The Aymaraes hold 
their market at Puno in the plaza in 
front of the cathedral, as already de- 
scribed, but the Quichua market is 
held in another square. A Quichua 



THE AYMARAES AND QUICHUAS 



205 





AYMARA MEN, PUNO. 



HEAD-DRESS OP AYMARA WOMEN. 

woman can be distinguished from an 
Aymara one at a glance, as she is 
without the remarkable head-cover- 
ing, but the dress of the men has 
only some slight points of dif- 
ference, that cannot be observed 
by a stranger. The Aymaraes 
are thought to represent an older 
race than the Quichuas; the men 
are larger and more powerful, but 
the women are less inclined to 
good looks. 

Though the two people remain 
distinct they are perfectly friendly, 
and their huts are often quite near 
each other. In their resistance to 
the Spanish conquest they made 
common cause, and in every revolt 
against their oppressors they have 



206 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fought side by side. Both are grave, dignified, silent, and sad, and as we 
look at them they seem to be musing over the misfortunes of the last 
three centuries, and the degradation that has followed the occupation of 
their land by the avaricious invaders. 

These musings of Frank and Fred were cut short by the announce- 
ment that the boat was ready. Pushing along the tortuous channel 
through the reeds they made slow progress; but all journeys have an end, 
and in due time they reached the steamboat. Steam was already up, and 
as soon as the party was on board, with its belongings, the paddles were 
put in motion, and the prow turned in the direction of Titicaca Island. 
Lake Titicaca is the largest body of water on the surface of the globe 

at an elevation exceeding twelve 
thousand feet, and probably the 
most elevated lake navigated by 
steam. Before the introduction of 
steamboats the only mode of water 
transit was upon balsas, or rafts, 
made of the tortora or rushes al- 
ready mentioned ; the lake is liable 
to be swept by sudden winds, and 
the party who ventures upon it in 
one of these frail craft runs a good 
chance of a wetting. The steam- 
| boats have not by any means driven 
|. the balsa from the lake, but they 
I: have rendered it less obligatory on 
| strangers to trust themselves to its 
: limited accommodations and its cer- 
tainty of discomfort. 

It was after dark when the 
steamer reached Titicaca Island, and 
ran into a little bay where there was 
a shelter from the wind. As noth- 
ing could be seen on the land, during the night,it was decided to sleep on 
board, and make an early visit to the shore in the morning. The Doctor 
and the youths made a hearty supper from their provisions and some hot 
tea, and then spread their beds on the floor of the cabin, which had no 
berths or other sleeping accommodations. 

Several balsas came from shore in the morning, and afforded means for 
landing on the sacred island of Peru. Titicaca Island is about six miles 




ATMARA WOMAN. PUNO. 



RUINS ON TITICACA ISLAND. 



207 




A RIDE ON A BALSA, LAKE TITICACA. 



long by four in width ; it is high and rugged, and the shores are deeply 
indented in man} r places. It contains the ruins of a Temple of the Sun, 
a palace of the Incas, and several other buildings, which have sadly gone 
to decay. Frank and Fred ascended the steep acclivity at the landing- 
place, closely followed by the Doctor, and were soon at a little village 
near by, where they obtained a guide to show them through the ruins. 

Near the village there were the remains of a building; tradition says 
it was the place where pilgrims to the sacred islands were required to 
remain for several days after their arrival in order to go through certain 
ceremonies of purification. There was a broad platform in front of the 
building, the latter being divided into two parts, measuring thirty-five 




CLOSED DOORWAY, TITICACA ISLAND. 



208 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



feet one way by twenty-seven the other. The upper part of the walls 
had fallen, but the lower portion was well preserved. The walls were of 
limestone, carefully cut, and set in tough clay, which seems able to resist 
the ravages of the climate. 

About half a mile from the landing-place is the " the Palace of the 
Inca " on a cliff overlooking the lake. Its walls are broken at the top, 
but enough remains to show the style of the ancient architecture, and the 
forms of the windows and doorways. Frank wondered that the earth- 
quakes had not destroyed the palace long ago ; the Doctor said this part 
of Bolivia is rarely visited by disturbances of the earth, the whole basin of 




PALACE OP THE INCA. 



Titicaca being singularly free from them. The home of the South Amer- 
ican earthquake is practically confined to the western side of the Andes. 

Near the palace they were shown " the Bath of the Inca," at the base 
of a hill which was evidently terraced at great expense. The walls of the 
terraces were made of cut stone, and the whole work was laid out with the 
skill of a surveyor. Here the Incas had their gardens, but the ground 
is not now cultivated, and little more than the terraces remain to show 
what it once was. The bath is a tank or basin of stone about five feet 
deep, and measuring twenty feet by forty on its surface. Yines and other 



A SACRED SPOT. 



209 




BATH OF THE INCA. 



plants grow over the walls, and at one end of the tank there are three 
streams of water each about two inches in diameter. The sources of 
these streams is unknown ; they come through subterranean channels, and 
are flowing to-day exactly as they flowed during the time of the Incas 
and their imperial splendor. 

At the farther end of the island is the sacred rock of Manco Capac, 
but there is little to be seen there except a high wall surrounding a natu- 
ral dome of sandstone. The Doctor did not think the sight would com- 
pensate for the time and fatigue of the journey, and the stone was left to 
take care of itself. The youths consoled themselves by studying the en- 
graving in Mr. Squier's work and reading the tradition concerning the rock. 

It was here that Manco Capac is said to have descended to earth, and 
down to this day the natives approach the place with great reverence. It 
was formerly believed that no bird would alight upon it, and no animal 
would dare to set his foot there. The presence of mortal man was for- 
bidden. It was here that the sun rose to dispel the mists around the 
mountains and over the land, and for many years none but the priests 
could even come within sight of the rock. At one time it was plated' 
with gold and silver and covered with a veil, which was never removed 
except on the occasion of religious festivals. 

14 



210 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ill I m ; I \ ; ' 

111 l||! > I 

llpiiiif i ' s # I j 
! i|||iipl:i!iS fill 

i ! i !' 1 ! l ,i ' 

[i - ' ; i 1 , 

! v, p m m ' i II 



mm, a ,'v 






bk 






m 



mmm 



5*Jjm&&-'.-- - M ] -W 



ltOOM IN THE 1NCA S PALACE. 



The sloping sides of the hill crowned by the rock are terraced and 
railed off into platforms ; these platforms contain the remains of small 




THE SACKED ROCK OF MANCO CAPAC. 



PERUVIAN AND EGYPTIAN HISTORY COMPARED. 



211 



buildings, which are supposed to have been the residences of the priests 
and attendants upon the worship of the founder of the line of Incas. 
There was formerly a garden on the terraces, and the earth for its con- 
struction was said to have been brought on the backs of men a distance 
of four hundred miles! 

Doubtless the work of the Incas was performed under the same op- 
pression as that of the rulers of ancient Egypt. The latter built the 
Pyramids by the unpaid labor of their subjects; the former terraced the 
rugged sides of Titicaca Island, and erected their temples and palaces 
with little thought of the lives that were lost in the toil. The history 
of the Old World is repeated in the New. 



VvH'^ (MM 




GRODND-PLAN OF " PALACE OF THE INCA," TITICACA ISLAND. 



^ 



212 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XII. 

COATI ISLAND AND THE RUINS OF TIAHUANACO.— RETURN TO PUNO.— CUZCO, AND 
THE TEMPLES, PALACES, AND FORTRESSES OF THE INCAS.— PLANS FOR DEPART- 
URE. 

THE party spent the day on Titicaca Island, examining the ruins which 
attested the power of the Incas and their predecessors, and studying 
the magnificent views that were presented in almost every direction. In 
the east lay the Andes of Bolivia, while to the west was the chain of the 
cordillera they had crossed on their way from the coast to Puno. Lake 
Titicaca lies between Peru and Bolivia, the western shore belonging to the 
former country, and the eastern to the latter. The outlet of the lake is 
the dividing-line, and at each end of the bridge which crosses the river 
there is a custom-house, where officials of the respective countries are sta- 
tioned. The bridge is built on rafts, or balsas, made of the reeds growing 
in the lake ; the footway is composed of these reeds, and supported by 
the balsas beneath it. 




BRIDGE AND CUSTOM-HOUSE AT THE FRONTIER. 



THE TEMPLE OF THE MOON. 



213 



They returned to the steamboat at nightfall, and gave orders for the 
captain to move to Coati Island, about six miles distant, as soon as day- 
light permitted. "Weary with their tramp, they slept soundly ; when they 
waked in the morning the steamer was at anchor at its destination, and 
as soon as breakfast was over they went on shore. 

Titicaca Island was specially consecrated to the sun, while Coati was 
dedicated to the moon. The former is steep and rugged ; the latter is only 
moderately elevated, and capable of cultivation from one end to the other. 
It is about half as large as Titicaca Island, and is occupied by a few fami- 
lies of Indians, who cultivate potatoes and other things, and look after a 
flock of sheep which is pastured there. Judging by the appearance of 
the sheep, Frank and Fred were of opinion that the pasture was a good one. 

Coati contains a Temple of the Moon and a Palace of the Yirgins ; 
both are greatW ruined, but sufficiently preserved to indicate their original 
extent and character. Near the ancient landing-place there are gates, and 
temples of purification similar to those on Titicaca Island, and doubtless 
used for the same purposes. About midway of the island is the principal 
group of ruins, and our friends spent 
several hours in examining the walls ^ ~= j Ssj 

and terraces, and studying what is - ,^^§llS|fe - 

left of the architecture of the build- 
ings. Only the lower story of the 
edifice remains; the upper part ap- 
pears to have been made of wood, 
and disappeared long ago. 

An inner court of the building 
is now used by the Indian shepherds 
as an enclosure for their sheep at 
night, and when Frank and Fred 
entered it one of the guardians of the flock was driving his charges out to 
pasture. According to tradition, this court-yard was the corral where the 
sacred llamas and vicunas were kept in the days of the Incas ; from their 
wool the royal garments and the hangings of the temple were made, by 
the women who inhabited the palace near by. 

The temple is elevated some distance above the lake ; between the 
temple and the edge of the water the ground slopes off in a series of ter- 
races carefully built of stone. Each terrace has a wall about breast- 
high around its edge, and a person walking there ran no risk of falling 
down the declivity. From one terrace to another there is a series of stone 
steps, so that the ascent and descent were easy. 




RUINS ON COATI ISLAND. 



214 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Sitting on the front of the upper terrace the travellers mused upon the 
scenes of the past, and endeavored to picture, the appearance of the island 
in the days when the Incas were in the height of their power, and the 
temples were crowded with pilgrims from all parts of the empire. 

- "These temples and palaces," said the Doctor, "are by no means the 
finest monuments of the ancient Peruvians in the Titicaca basin. A little 
beyond the southern extremity of the lake is the village of Tialmanaco, 
where the ruins are far more extensive than on either of the islands." 




INDIANS CELEBRATING THE CHUNO, OR POTATO FESTIVAL. 

"Mr. Squier calls Tialmanaco the Baalbec of America," said Fred. 
" To judge by his description of the remains he found there, the name is 
well merited." 

Frank had not yet read the account which Mr. Squier gives of his visit 
to the spot. At his request Fred made a brief synopsis of the story. 

" On his arrival," said Fred, " he was impressed with the great number 
of finely cut stones that were built into the rudest edifices, or were used 
for pavements. The church is mainly constructed of them, and the cross 
in front of it stands on an ancient stone pedestal, which far surpasses it in 
the excellence of its workmanship. On all sides are the relics of antiquity 



STRANGE COSTUMES FOR HOLIDAYS. 



215 



adapted to the uses of the present time; Tiahuanaco has been used as a 
quarry, from whence have been taken the finely cut and polished stones 
for building all the churches and villages of the valley, and even fur the 
roads and bridges. 

" He happened to arrive at the time the Indians were engaged in cele- 
brating the chuno, or potato festival ; they were dancing in the public 
square, beating on drums or tambourines, and wearing head-coverings that 
resembled enormous umbrellas. Each group of men was accompanied by 
several female dancers, the latter wearing hats with broad, stiff brims, and 
ornamented above the brims with 
semicircular representations of the 
rays of the rising sun, that closely 
resembled an open fan. There were 
three of these semicircular pieces 
above the brim of the hat, and each 
of the dancers wore a scarf over the 
left shoulder; the scarf was of varie- 
gated colors, but the rest of the cos- 
tume was blue. 

" The dance was kept up all day 
and all night, and, as the whole popu- 
lation took part in the festival, it was 
impossible for Mr. Squier to hire the 
laborers he desired to assist in mak- 
ing his explorations. The festival is 
a curious mingling of the customs of 
the ancient Peruvians and of the 
modern church ; it was under the 
control of the priests of Tiahuanaco, 
and the ceremonials were so closelj r 
blended that it was impossible to 

draw a dividing-line between them. The chuno dates far back before the 
conquest by the Spaniards, and it is probable that the early settlers found 
it to their advantage to combine it with some of their own ceremonials. 

"The ruins are about fifteen minutes walk from the village, and cover 
an area of two or three miles. They are on a level plain, and consist of 
several mounds of earth, one of them larger than any of the others, and 
the remains of numerous buildings and enclosures. The most conspicuous 
part of the ruins is about a mile square, and includes the large mound just 
mentioned. 




HEAD-ERESS OF INDIAN FEMALE DANCERS. 



216 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




§ life 






Palace 



liKFRBKNOEs. — A. Hollow squaie, level 
with surface of the plain. — Ji. Terrace 8 
feet, higher than A. — C. Kectangle partly 
defined by rough upright stones. — D. 
Apron of great mound. — E. Great mound 
called the fortress.— m. Great monolithic 
gateway. — e. e. e. Excavations. — h. h. h. 
Heaps of earth from excavations.—/. /. 
Massive stones partly worked. 



PLAN OF PART OF RUINS OF TIAHUANACO. 



"This mound is generally called 'The Fortress,' and was originally 
terraced, each terrace being supported by a massive wall of cat stones, and 
the top of the mound covered with stone structures of which considerable 
portions are in their original places. Close by the mound are the ruins of 
a building or enclosure known as 'The Temple,' which was 445 feet long 
by 388 feet wide. The stones composing it are sunk into the ground like 
gate-posts ; the part that appears above the earth varies from nine to four- 




THE AMERICAN STOXEHENUE. 



TIAHUANACO, BAALBEC, AND THEBES COMPARED. 



217 



teen feet in height, and the blocks are about thirty inches thick. Mr. 
Squier calls this enclosure 'The American Stonehenge,' from its resem- 
blance to Stonehenge, one of the famous monuments of England. 

"Scattered in the vicinity are many highly finished stones, which seem 
never to have been placed in the walls for which they were intended." 

"How much like Baalbec !" exclaimed Frank. "You remember we 
found the people using the stone from the temple for constructing their 
buildings, and the greatest stone of all was in the quarries, and not quite 
detached from the bed where it was hewn." 

"Yes," chimed in the Doctor, "and we may compare this Peruvian 
Tiahuanaco to the Egyptian Thebes and Karnak. What we iind here is 
very much like what we found in those old cities of the East." 

" But I'm coming to a still closer comparison to Thebes and Baalbec," 
said Fred. "You remember the great stones of Baalbec, and how much 
we wondered at them ?" 

Frank nodded assent. 

"Well, here in Peru," was the reply, "we find there was a doorway 
made of a single stone, which is still standing, though it has been broken 
by an earthquake, or by lightning — the natives say by the latter. Here 
are the figures of its measurement, as given by Mr. Squier: 

"Thirteen feet five inches long, seven feet two inches high above the 
ground, and eighteen inches thick. Through the centre is a doorway, four 




FRONT VIEW OF MONOLITHIC DOORWAY. 



218 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



feet six inches high, and two feet nine inches wide. The upper part is 
carved with figures in low relief, much like the sculpture we saw in Egypt, 
and Mr. Sqnier says he does not believe there is a finer piece of cutting in 
the same kind of stone on this or any other continent. 

" In another enclosure is a horizontal slab of stone about fourteen feet 
square, with a deep cutting in the centre, which is supposed to have some- 
thing to do with the religious observance of the people who made it. The 
building that contained it was constructed of blocks of stone fourteen feet 
long, and of corresponding depth and thickness, and all the work was per- 
formed with great care." 




SYMBOLICAL SLAB. 



Frank asked what the Peruvians used for hewing the stone of which 
these buildings were made. 

" As far as we can learn," replied the Doctor, " they were unacquainted 
with iron or steel ; they were familiar with bronze, and some implements 
of this metal have been found. They had no knowledge of gunpowder, 
or other explosives, and it is not at all probable that they had any other 
power than that of men. The blocks found at Tiahnanaco must have been 
brought a considerable distance ; they are of red sandstone, slate-colored 
trachyte, and dark basalt, none of which are found in the vicinity. There 
are cliffs of red sandstone about fifteen miles away, while the other stones 



RETURNING TO PUNO. 



219 




TERRACE WALLS AND SCATTERED BLOCKS OF STONE, 



are not less than forty miles distant. The conclusion is inevitable that the 
huge blocks in the ruins were transported from the cliffs I have men- 
tioned." 

"Egypt again," said Frank. " The stone for the Great Pyramids was 
carried across the Nile from the present site of Cairo, and the red granite 
blocks at Thebes, Sakhara, and other places were floated down on boats or 
rafts from the first cataract of the Nile." 

The conversation was brought to an end by a proposal from the Doctor 
to descend the terraces to the shore of the lake, and return to the steamer. 
With a few slips and falls they made their way down the broken stair- 
ways, and were soon at the edge of the water. A balsa was obtained from 
one of the Indians, and as there was no wind blowing they made the trip 
over the water without mishap. Just at sundown they anchored as near 
Puno as the steamer could go; the row-boat was waiting for them at the 
anchorage, and, after a tortuous passage among the reeds, as before, they 
were back again at their starting-point. 

The morning after their arrival was naturally devoted to a discussion 
of plans for continuing their journey. Frank and Fred wished to visit 
Cuzco, the ancient capital of the Incas. Their journey to Titicaca Island 
had roused their interest in the antiquities of Peru, and they wished to 
learn more about them. Dr. Bronson said it would not be feasible for 



220 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



them to go to that city in the time they had at their disposal, as the dis- 
tance was long and the roads were primitive.. " It is more than two hun- 
dred miles," said he, ." from Puno to Cuzco ; the route is not practicable 
for wheeled vehicles, and I think we are hardly enthusiastic enough to 
undertake the journey on mules or horses, for the sake of seeing the re- 
mains of the Inca Empire." 

The youths agreed with him, but determined to inform themselves con- 
cerning the sights of the ancient capital of Peru. The Doctor went out 
to make arrangements for their departure from Puno, and was gone two 




REMAINS OF PALACE AT CCZCO. 



or three hours. By reading the descriptions at hand, and from subsequent 
conversations with persons who had been at Cuzco, they prepared the fol- 
lowing: 

"After Manco Capac founded the temples on Titicaca Island he went 
north and founded the city of Cuzco. It is in a beautiful valley, elevated 
about eleven thousand feet above the level of the sea, and is said to have 
at the present time not far from fifty thousand inhabitants. It has a large 
square in the centre, and the streets cross each other- at right angles. 
There are many tine buildings in Cuzco, but they are mostly of modern 
construction ; the old dwellings of the people exist no longer, but some of 
the temples were converted into churches and convents. A few of the 
ancient gateways were kept by the conquerors, and occasionally a doorway 
and part of the wall of a house have been reserved for modern uses. 

" The great square of the ancient city was practically the Plaza Mayor 
of the modern one, though a portion of it has been built upon. Two 



THE BRIDGES OF THE IXC AS. 



221 




INCA DOORWAY, CL'ZCO. 



small rivers running through ancient draco were enclosed between 
high walls and crossed by bridges formed of projecting stones ; some of 
these bridges are still in use, and the walls have not been displaced. Mod- 




OLD BRIDGE AT CUZCO. 



222 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ern engineers say the walls could not easily be improved, and the fact that 
they have stood unharmed through centuries shows their substantial 
character. At intervals there are steps leading down to the water, and 
some of them have been deeply worn by the many thousands of feet that 
have trodden there. 

" The city was on rough ground, and its builders were obliged to make 
many terraces and remove inequalities in order to provide suitable sites 
for their structures. In building their terraces they constructed walls of 
the kind known as ' cyclopean,' and many of these walls form the lines of 
the streets of to-day. We will explain that a 'cyclopean ' wall is made of 




COUUT OF CONVENT, WITH ANCIENT FOUNTAIN. 



stones of irregular shape and size, but all carefully fitted together, like the 
scraps that form the pattern of a so-called 'crazy-quilt.' The resemblance 
to the Inca architecture in these walls and in many other things is very 
noticeable, but there is no reason to suppose that the two systems had a 
common origin. 

"The Convent of Santa Catalina was established "on the site of the 
Palace of the Virgins of the Sun.; the nuns of the modern edifice may be 
said to replace the vestals of the old. Part of the walls of the old palace 
were retained, and enough remains of the building to indicate its charac- 
ter very distinctl} 7 . The church and convent of Santo Domingo occupy 
the Temple of the Sun, but the greater part of the walls have fallen, and 



THE DECISIVE BATTLE OF PERU. 




C1IGKCH AND CONVENT OF SANTO DOMINGO, CUZCO. 



the present structure is without shape or intelligible design. Inside the 
court-jard is preserved the fountain of the Incas, which ornamented the 
ancient temple, but in these latter times has been consecrated to baptismal 
purposes by the church. 

"And what do you suppose was once on the site of the great Cathe- 
dral of Cnzco ? 

" It was here that the eighth Inca of Peru erected a building dedi- 
cated to the festivals of the people; it was so large that the ancient 
chronicles say a whole regiment could exercise beneath its roof. In this 
building the troops of Gonzalez Pizarro barricaded themselves for a bat- 
tle with the Peruvians, which was to decide the fate of their campaign ; it 
was the last hope of the invaders, who had encountered unexpected resist- 
ance, and defeat was equivalent to death. 

" The battle was won by the Spaniards, and the Inca power was 
broken forever. According to a legend sculptured over the doorway, St. 
James descended from heaven, on a milk-white horse, and took part in 
the contest for the overthrow of the heathen dominion and the establish- 
ment of Christianity in South America. 



224 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




TKRRA-COTTA FIGURES, CUZCO. 



"A curious circum- 
stance connected with the 
antiquities of Peru is the 
extreme rarity of statues 
of stone or other mate- 
rial. Some have been 
found, but not many; in 
Cuzco there are a few fig- 
ures in terra cotta and 
also in stone, but proba- 
bly not twenty in all. 
The few that exist are 
quite rude in character, 
and not at all comparable to the admirable works of art which abounded 
in ancient Egypt. Two stone figures representing animals in a sitting 
posture were taken from the ruins of the Garden of the Sun ; they are 
each about twenty-four inches high, and the shape of the pedestals seems 
to indicate that they were originally placed on the coping of a wall. If 
the sculptor made a true representation of his model, it is easy toljelieve 
that the animal could walk down his own throat without difficulty. 

" Cuzco was defended by a fortress on 
a high hill just in the rear of the city. 
The fortress was a remarkable piece of 
work, and is said to have been built in the 
twelfth century ; it held the same relation 
to Cuzco that ' The Rock ' does to Gibral- 
tar, or the Acropolis did to Athens. It 
consists of terraces near the summit of the 
hill, seven hundred and sixty -four feet 
above the grand square of the city, and of 
zigzag roads leading from below. All the 
roads are made so that they can be easily^ 
defended ; the terraces are three in num- 
ber, and have a total height of sixty feet. 

"Military men who have examined the fortress say that the walls 
were constructed quite in accordance witli the best engineering science of 
modern times; on its only assailable side the walls are. provided with 
salients, so that every point could be covered by a parallel fire from the 
weapons of the defenders. The walls are composed of immense blocks 
of , blue limestone, and each salient has one of these at its end. In some 




ANCIENT STONE SCULPTURE, CUZCO. 



STONES IN THE FORTKESS OF CUZCO. 



225 



places the great stones are 
piled one above the other; 
one stone, twenty-seven feet 
high, fourteen broad, and 
twelve in thickness, lies 
upon another of almost the 
same dimensions. Blocks 
measuring fifteen feet in 
length, twelve in width, and 
ten in thickness are common 
in the outer walls! 

" Turn to the description 
of the Temple of the Sun, 

at Baalbec, and see how much the work of the Peruvians resembles that 
of the people of ancient Palestine. 

" Some of these stones were hewn from the hill not far from where 
they are found, while others were brought from the cliffs three fourths of 
a mile away. In the quarries at the cliffs there are several stones partly 
hewn, and there are two roads still to be traced, along which the blocks 




SECTION OF WALLS OF THE FORTRESS. 




SALIENT ANGLE OF FORTRESS. 

15 



226 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



were drawn. The evidences are that the stones were roughly cnt at the 
quarries, then drawn along the roads, and fitted in their places on arriving 
at the fortress. 

"To have a realizing sense of the size of the stones used in building 
the fortress of Cuzco, look at the picture of one of the salient angles of 
the wall, and the figure of the man leaning against it. Consider the man 
to be of ordinary stature, and you can readily compute the height of the 
stone. 




KOAD LEADING TO FOKT1FIKD HILL. 



" In the neighborhood of Cuzco there are many other remains of 
palaces, temples, and fortresses, but we have said enough to give yon an 
idea of what the ancient Peruvians left behind them. In some of the na- 
tive villages the houses are the same that were inhabited four or five 
hundred years ago ; the roofs have been renewed, but the walls remain un- 
changed. In many instances the natives have erected hovels by the side 
of the ancient houses, through their unwillingness to take the trouble to 
renew the roofs, which had been destroyed by time and the elements. 

" The roads which the Incas built have been mostly allowed to go to 
decay, by their successors, though some parts of them are still in use. 



SEARCHING FOR BURIED TREASURES. 



227 



The new ones are far in- 
ferior to the old, and noth- 
ing- better demonstrates 
the slovenly character of 
the invaders than a com- 
parison of their wretched 
paths through the moun- 
tains with the paved tracks 
of the original possessors of 
the land. The Spaniards 
came in search of gold, 
and did not intend remain- 
ing; circumstances kept 
them here, but they were 
always looking for a speedy 
effort to improve or even to 




ANCIENT DWELLIiNG-HOUSE. 




SPECIMEN OF CYCLOPEAN WALL. 



return to their native land, and made no 
preserve what they found on their arrival. 
Their descendants are still search- 
ing for treasures among the palaces 
of the Incas, and a visitor to the 
ruins in and around Cuzco can see, 
almost any day, men digging among 
the rubbish for the gold which is 
supposed to be concealed there." 

As the youths finished their ac- 
count of the wonderful city of Cuzco 
and its surroundings, the Doctor re- 
turned from his walk. They read 
to him what they had written ; he 
gave his approval, with an intimation 
that it might be dull reading to 
some of their schoolmates, but was a 
necessary part of a narrative of trav- 
els in Peru. 

Fred suggested that anybody 
who did not like it was at liberty to 
skip a few pages, till he reached 
something more interesting. Frank 
was of the same opinion, and with 
this the manuscript was folded and 
laid away. 



228 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" I cannot obtain very definite information about the route we are to 
travel," said Dr. Bronson, " as I can find nobody who has been over it. 
Bolivia is without good roads, and though several plans have been pro- 
posed and undertaken for making them, they have not amounted to much. 
We shall have a rough journey, but I think we may get through without 
accident or detention. 

" We are to cross Lake Titicaca," continued the Doctor, " and enter 
Bolivian territory. I have engaged a man to accompany us as far as we 
wish him to go ; he knows a part of the region we are to traverse, though 
not all of it, but thinks he can learn enough as he goes along. Our route 
will be through northern Bolivia, past the base of Sorata, the grand moun- 
tain we have admired so much, and then down the eastern slope of the 
Andes till we reach the waters of the Beni River. 

" The Beni is a tributary of the Madeira, and the Madeira flows into 
the Amazon. When we leave Puno to-morrow our watchword will be, 

" To the Amazon !" 



"•"-■■ 







Mm, 










ANCIENT SUN CIRCLE, SILLUSTANI, PERU. 



DEPARTURE FROM PUNO. 



229 



CHAPTER XIII. 

LEAVING PUNO. — CROSSING LAKE TITICACA. — RESOURCES OF BOLIVIA. — SILVER 
MINING. — PRIMITIVE LODGINGS. — BEGINNING THE JOURNEY TO THE EAST- 
WARD. 

IT was the intention of our friends to leave Puno on the morning fol- 
lowing the conversation recorded in the last chapter, but there was a 
slight hjtch in their plans. Manuel, the guide who had been engaged to 
accompany them, said it was advisable to purchase provisions and other 
necessaries before starting, as there was doubt about finding them along 
the road. Acting under his advice, a 
day was spent in the shops, and another 
•in putting the articles into packages 
suitable for mountain travel. When 
all was completed it was found that the 
steamboat was absent on a trip up the 
lake, and another day was lost in wait- 
ing for her. 

On the fourth morning everything 
was ready, and the baggage was sent 
on board in charge of Manuel. The 
travellers said good-bye to their Amer- 
ican acquaintance, who regretted he 
could not accompany them ; they were 
equally sorry he could not do so, as 
they had found him a most agreeable 
and intelligent companion during their 
stay. A foreigner in an interior town 
of South America has a dreary exist- 
ence, and welcomes with delight the ad- 
vent of a countryman. 

Just as they were leaving the land- 
ing-place they were introduced to the 
manager of one of the silver mines in 
the neighborhood of Puno, who was tanatero (ore-carrier) 




230 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 








"^Isj^J^-*' 



about crossing the ]ake on busi- 
ness connected with his enter- 
prise. Acquaintance is quickly 
made under such circumstances, 
and the time of the voyage 
passed quickly in the society of 
this intelligent gentleman. 

" The silver mines of Peru," 
said he, " are yielding very little 
at present, owing to bad manage- 
ment and slovenly methods, and 
the same is the case with the 
mines of Bolivia. During the 
last two and a half centuries the 
mines of Peru, alone have yielded 
five hundred million dollars 
worth of silver; the mines near 
Puno are famous in histoiy, and 
are enormously rich, but for a 
long time little has been done beyond reducing by modern processes the 
refuse of the old miners. When the country becomes tranquil, and capi- 
tal can be securely invested, the mines will be reopened, American and 
other machinery introduced, and the world can again be supplied with 
silver from the Andes. 

"Potosi, in Bolivia, is probably the richest silver region of South 
America and of the whole world, but its mines are now almost neglected. 
In the seventeenth century the city had more than a hundred thousand in- 
habitants, while it has barely twenty-five thousand to-day. Between 1545 
and 1789 the mines of Potosi yielded one thousand million dollars' worth 
of silver, but of late years the product has not exceeded two and a half 
millions annually. The word 'Potosi' signifies 'an eruption of silver,' 
and the place is certainly well named. It is in a province of the same 



m ft, * 



SUCTION OF A SILVER MINE. 



SILVER MINING IN BOLIVIA. 



231 



name, which produces also gold, copper, iron, lead, tin, quicksilver, zinc, 
antimony, and other minerals, but silver is its principal yield. 

" Potosi suffers for lack of modern methods, as much as do the 
mines of Peru and other South American countries ; nearly all the min- 
ing is done b} r Indians, who adhere to the processes that have been in use 
for centuries ; the spirit of enterprise does not prevail here, and until it 
does there will be no revival of the business." 

One of the youths asked a question which led to a description of the 
primitive ways of mining at Potosi. 

"Take, for example," said their entertainer, "the mill in which the 




A PRIMITIVE MILL. 



ores are crushed. It is a rude affair, with two wheels of stone at the end 
of a horizontal bar moved by an upright shaft. The propelling force is an 
ox, a mule, or possibly a stream of water, and sometimes the mill is 
worked by the power of men. The apparatus somewhat resembles an 
old-fashioned cider-mill in the Northern States of America, but the rough- 
est cider-mill you ever saw is a piece of cabinet-maker's work compared 
with a Bolivian arastra. The broken ore is placed in a trough in which 
the stone wheels move slowly around, crushing, perhaps, half a ton of ore 



232 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




ARASTRA, WITH MULE-POWER. 



daily. Modern mills, such as are used by the miners of California and 
Nevada, would crush twenty times as much ore at little more than the 
same cost ! 

"From the beginning to the end of the work the whole business is 
very slow and primitive. The ore is broken out of the veins by sheer 
force of labor, powder or other blasting material being rarely employed. 
It is carried on the backs of men to the surface of the ground ; the 
tanateros, or ore-carriers, load the substance into baskets or bags of raw- 
hide, and climb patiently upwards along perpendicular logs that are 
notched to give holding-places for the feet. 

"With a hammer a native breaks the ore into pieces suitable for the 
crushing-wheels ; then it is reduced to mud by the slow operation I have 
described ; it is roasted or treated with quicksilver according to its re- 
quirements; and finally the pure silver is obtained, and smelted into bars 
for transportation to the coast. 

"Now, here is the difference between this way of working and the 
modern methods. The American or English miner would hoist the ore 
from the mine by machinery instead of carrying it out by man-power. 



PRIMITIVE MODES OF WORKING. 



233 



Then he would use machinery for reducing it to powder, allowing none 
to be wasted, and after the reduction he would extract the silver from the 
rock in such a way as to save every grain of metal it contained, and pre- 
serve all the quicksilver to be used over and over again. A great part 
of the silver is lost at present, together with much of the quicksilver used 
in the work of amalgamation. Where there is a profit of ten dollars by 
the old process in working a ton of ore there would be fifty dollars of 
profit under the new. And yet it is hard to convince these people that 
it is worth their while to try the new system ! 

" Some of the mines are in the sides of the mountains, where no hoist- 
ing is required, and the ore is brought 
directly to the open air without the 
necessity of climbing. Such mines are 
more profitable than the others, as they 
can be readily drained, and the expense 
of carrying the ore upwards is saved. 

" The ore of Potosi is very rich, 
but, for that matter, so are the ores of 
Puno and Cerro de Pasco. Some de- 
posits yield as high as two hundred dol- 
lars a ton. When you bear in mind 
that the miners of California find a 
profit in working mineral at ten dollars 
a ton you can realize the wealth of the 
silver deposits of the Andes. 

" When I first came here," he con- 
tinued, "I was fresh from the mines 
of Nevada. The rudeness of the Bo- 
livian work was in very marked contrast 
to what I was so lately familiar with. 

"Near the entrance of the first 
mine I visited I saw some specimens of rich ore lying on the ground. 
There was a group of three natives lounging around the place, a man, 
a woman, and a boy. The mine had been deserted for some time, and 
I found these people helped themselves to the mineral whenever they 
wanted it. Telling them I wished to see how they operated, and prom- 
ising a reward for their trouble, I induced them to go to work. 

" The man entered the mine, carrying a bar of iron and a raw-hide 
bag. In a little while I heard the blows of the bar, and in the course of 
half an hour he returned with about twenty pounds of ore in the bag. 




BREAKING ORE. 



234 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




INDIANS EXTRACTING SILVER FROM ORE. 



Then the man and the woman pounded the ore upon flat stones, and re- 
duced it to a coarse dust, which was placed in an earthen pot over a fire. 
The fire was fed and tended by the boy, while the man and woman looked 
on ; they had performed their share of the toil, and were willing to give 
the youth a chance. 

"A smaller pot was brought, in which the ore was placed after half 
an hour's roasting in the large one. This pot was filled with the dust, 
deposited on the bed of coals, and covered with a loosely fitting lid. The 
wood was piled over it and the fire burned fiercely. The whole mass 
became red-hot, and the fumes of sulphur filled the air as they rose from 
the smelting-pot. 

" The fire was allowed to burn down, and when it was reduced to 
ashes and embers the pot was lifted out, and its contents were poured on 
the ground. There was a confused mass of slag and ashes, and in a few 
moments the man who had taken the ore from the mine pushed from the 
slag a button of silver weighing: something more than an ounce. It was 
thrown into water to cool, and when in a condition to be handled it was 
passed over to me. 1 gave the man a dollar, together with some smaller 
coins to the woman and boy, and then walked away with my trophy." 



ACCIDENTS IN THE MINES. 



235 



Frank and Fred were much interested in this account of the silver 
mines of Bolivia, and the primitive ways of working them. As soon as 
the conversation was over they wrote it out, as nearly as they remembered 
it, in order that none of the information should be lost. 

Then followed a technical account of the character of the ores, but 
it might be tedious to the general reader, and we will omit it. Their 
informant further told the youths that a good many of the natives sup- 
port themselves by melting the ores in the manner just described, and 







m^!S£&3& 






GALLERIES IN A SILVER MINE. 



selling the buttons for what they will bring. The silver thus obtained is 
not chemically pure, but is good enough for purposes of sale. 

Fred asked if accidents were common in the mines at Potosi. 

" Of course they have accidents there," was the reply, " but probably 
no more on the average than in mines in other parts of the world. Most 
of them are due to carelessness, either in failing to support the roof 
properly after the ore is taken out, or not taking proper hold of the lad- 
ders while ascending or descending. Sometimes the roof of a mine falls 
in, but there is generally sufficient warning to allow the men to escape. 
Rocks occasionally become dislodged and fall upon the workmen; I was 
one day walking in a mine when a stone weighing at least a ton fell 



236 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




CAVING IN. 



behind me, right in my tracks. If I 
had been three or four seconds later 
it would have crushed me. 

" The weight of rock and earth 
becomes too great for the timbers 
along the sides and across the roof, 
and they are crushed and broken. 
But before falling they groan and 
crack and settle, but rarely give way 
suddenly. The Indians can tell 
from long experience when there is 
any real danger, and are generally 
quick enough to escape." 

From mining the conversation 
turned to general subjects relating 
to Bolivia. The substance of what 
the youths learned may be set down 
as follows : 

Silver is found in many parts of 
the republic, and some of the mines 
are said to yield ore as rich as that of Potosi. The Potosi mines are 
mainly in a single mountain, which has been pierced with more than five 
thousand tunnels and openings. Gold is found in many places, but it has 
not been extensively mined. Occasionally large nuggets or masses of 
pure gold are found, and they bring a higher price as curiosities than 
when reduced to bullion. One of these masses was detached from a 
mountain by a stroke of lightning, and sold at an enormous price to the 
royal museum at Madrid. 

There are some valuable mines of tin and copper in Bolivia; the tin 
mines of Oruro are said to be the richest in the world, and copper is said 
to be as abundant in the mountains of Corocoro as silver is at Potosi. 
The other mineral wealth of Bolivia is well known, but none of it is avail- 
able on ""account of the lack of transportation. The country has no out- 
let by which it can reach the markets of the world. Transportation to 
the Pacific coast is over the passes of the Andes and across deserts, while 
the ocean ports are lacking in facilities for landing or discharging cargoes. 
There is a route through Buenos Ayres, and another through Brazil ; both 
are long and expensive, and the greater part of the products of the coun- 
try will not bear the cost of removal. There will be occasion for refer- 
ring to this subject again. 



SMALL-POX AS A PEACEMAKER. 



237 



Bolivia has a little more than two millions of inhabitants, about one 
fourth of them whites. There are several varieties of the native and 
mixed races, from the civilized Indians of La Paz and other cities to the 
wild tribes of the upper waters of the Amazon. The latter lead a wan- 
dering life, and wear no clothes; they have resisted all attempts to civilize 
them, and until recently they were hostile to the white people who passed 
along the river in boats. A curious story is told of the incident by which 
their hostility was suppressed. 

In a survey made by the Bolivian government of the falls of the 
Madeira River a camp was established on the banks of that stream. Soon 
after it was located one of the men of the exploring party was taken ill, 
and his disease proved to be small-pox. He was immediately isolated 
from the rest of the camp, and carefully attended by the doctor. 

Recovery was impossible. ., One day, while the doctor was at the side 
of the dying patient, these warlike natives attacked the hut, and barelv 
gave the doctor time to escape. The death of the sufferer was hastened 
by the Indians, and they triumphantly carried away his clothes and bed- 
ding. Nearly the whole tribe died in consequence; the few that survived 
have ever since regarded the occurrence as a manifestation of divine 
wrath, and let the white men care- 
fully alone. 

Frank and Fred heard so much 
about the undeveloped sources of 
wealth in Bolivia that they were 
inclined to form stock companies 
for various enterprises out of which 
enormous amounts of money could 
be made. But as their previous 
dreams of this sort had amounted 
to nothing, they wisely forbore even 
going so far as to put their ideas on 
paper. 

They heard of vast numbers of 
cattle on the pampas, or plains of 
eastern Bolivia, which could be 
bought for a few shillings each, and 
converted into beef and leather, at 
a great advance on the original 
cost. Their informant said they 
would yield a profit on their hides wild indian of Bolivia. 




238 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

alone, while the beef could be sent to London, or other places of large 
demand, by some of the preservative processes that have been recently 
invented. Then they learned that Bolivia could supply fine woods for 
cabinet purposes, in inexhaustible quantities, from the forests on the 
lower slopes of the Andes, and the banks of the Beni and other rivers. 
They found, on consulting the statistics, that the country could export 
the following articles if it only had the means of transporting them : 

Gold, silver, tin, copper, lead, quicksilver, chinchona bark, rubber, cof- 
fee, cacao, sugar, vanilla, balsams, copal, wax, dyes, sarsaparilla, tobacco, 
farina, cotton, llama and alpaca wool, cattle, hides, horns, tallow, dried 
meat, tiger and deer skins, furs, feathers, hammocks, and hats. 

Glancing at the history of the country, Frank found that Bolivia was 
formerly a province of Peru, under the Spanish domination. It joined in 
the revolution in the early part of the present century, and, in common 
with the other dependencies of Spain on the west coast of South America, 
achieved its independence. In 1825 it was made a separate republic, 
and named Bolivia, in honor of General Bolivar, the leader of the revolu- 
tion. It has had the usual checkered career of South American republics, 
with perhaps fewer insurrections than some of its fraternity. It former- 
ly had a strip of seacoast, but at present it has none; its coast possessions 
were annexed to Chili as one of the results of the late war, and for the 
future its must seek its commercial outlet through another country or 
by way of the Amazon River. 

The steamer carried our friends across the lake in a northeasterly di- 
rection and entered the Bay of Hnancane. They were landed at the little 
village of Yilquechico, whence there is a route through the eastern Andes 
to the head- waters of the Amazon. The alcalde of the village welcomed 
them to his dominions, and in true Spanish politeness announced that the 
village and all it contained were theirs. They didn't want the village, nor 
anything in it, except the means of getting out of it. 

The Doctor explained that their desires could be gratified with mules 
and llamas for continuing their journey; for these they would pay 
promptly, and would likewise pay for everything they chose to buy. As 
for the village, they would be content to let it remain in its delightful 
position on the shore of Lake Titicaca. 

It was easier to say "mules and llamas" than to obtain them. The 
alcalde issued orders for the people to bring all their spare animals; four 
saddle mules were needed for the journey, one for each of the party to 
ride, and a dozen mules or their equivalents in llamas were w r anted for 
carrying the baggage and provisions. The offers of beasts of burden 






LODGINGS AT VILQUECHICO. 



239 



came in slowly, and it was necessary to send to Hnancane, a town twelve 
miles away, to find a sufficient number. Most of the provisions for the 
party had been brought from Puno, as already stated, but there were still 
a few purchases to be made; it was decided to take matters leisurely, and 
accordingly the departure was fixed for the morning of the third day 
after their arrival. 

Manuel was kept busy acting as an aid to the alcalde in collecting the 
animals; in the intervals of looking after them he bought whatever pro- 
visions were needed, and made bargains with the men who were to ac- 
company the train. The supplies were almost identical with those for the 
journey from Quito to Napo, and therefore will not need repetition here. 



'AM., I - • 

Mil , - 




•is 



mm 

... ,,, i ij ' ■ ■ ! \ iil'V '!",■'"■''„:■ ■■"'■., ■■ 




LIMITED ACCOMMODATIONS. 



Lodgings at Yilqueehico were not equal to the Palace Hotel at San 
Francisco, or, in fact, to any other hotel of civilized cities. Dr. Bronson 
and Frank were assigned to a hut about six feet wide by eight or nine in 
length, while Fred was quartered in another hut along with the most of 
the baggage, on which Manuel slept by way of security. The beds were 
spread on what was literally the ground-floor, and there was just room 
enough for the two beds, and a few of the equipments of the travellers. 
At the end of the single apartment there was a mud altar with a crucifix, 
before which a candle was burning; the door was wanting altogether, 



240 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IF SOUTH AMERICA. 




AYMAKA SKULL. 



and the doorway was closed by 
hanging a blanket across it. 

The night was cold, but, shielded 
by their coverings, the trio slept well ; 
they were out early, as there was 
nothing in the luxury of their quar- 
ters to lead to late sleeping. They 
endeavored to find more commodious 
lodgings for the other nights of their 
stay, but were unable to do so, and 
quickly determined to be content 
with what they had, which was certainly philosophical. 

" We are better lodged now than we shall be for most of the nights of 
our journey to the Amazon," explained the Doctor; "and too much luxury 
Avould be bad for us." 

Frank and Fred agreed witli this intelligent suggestion, when they 
found it was impossible to improve upon the situation. Fred said they 
should remember how the fox consoled himself for his failure to obtain 
the fruits of the vine, by reflections upon their acidity. 

It was nearly noon on the day fixed for the departure that the baggage 
train moved out of the village and took the road to Huancane, where the 
first night was to be passed. Dr. Bronson and Frank had started early in 
the morning, leaving Fred and Manuel to look after the baggage animals, 
and bring them forward. There were one or two purchases which could 
not be made at Vilquechico on account of the limited stock of supplies ; 
Huancane could supply the deficiency, as it is a larger place and has more 
extensive stores. It is occupied almost exclusively by Aymara and Qui- 
chua families, who live as distinctly, but on the same terms of amity, as 
their kindred in Puno. 

The road winds along the shore of the lake for a large part of the 
way. The ground is destitute of trees, and the only vegetation is the 
grass, which furnishes nourishment to the sheep and other animals, and 
the tola or tortora that fill the shallow waters, and often extend long dis- 
tances from the shores. The houses of the shepherds are made of turf, 
which is thin, but tough, and serves admirably for building purposes. Not 
only the houses are made of it, but the corrals for sheep, and any other 
needed edifices. At a little distance these houses resemble haystacks, as 
they are nearly always conical in shape ; there is a hole near the apex of 
the cone, where the smoke finds its way outward after leisurely traversing 
the whole interior of the building. 



NATIVE MODE OF HOUSE-CLEANING. 



241 




TURF HOUSE NEAR LAKE TITICACA. 



Fred entered one of these lints, but he did not stay long. The interior 
was extremely dirty ; Manuel said, that when it became so bad that the 
owners could not longer endure it they deserted the hut and built another- 
" But they don't move often," he added, " and the huts must be very bad 
indeed before their owners will take the trouble to put up new ones." 

There are some ruins in the neighborhood of Huancane, but it was not 



ill 




.- » -''f^-y r ll!V , ' 

1 ' ,: ,. : 

L— J iT f I 

' - ■ . k"!.,;n; -,:■:" 







; 

- . 



'-:%-: 

W0?;?: 



CHCLPAS, OR BURIAL-TOWERS. 



16 



212 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



considered worth while to visit them. They consist mostly of chulpas, 
or burial-towers, which are nothing more than towers, either round, or 
square, with interior spaces for the reception of the remains of the dead. 
A description of one will suffice for all. 

It is seventeen feet square, and twenty-four feet high, and rises from 
a platform of cut stones twenty-two feet on each side, and raised a foot 
above the ground. Three feet below the top there is a cornice two feet 
deep, which projects about twelve inches on every side, and is the only 
external ornament. There is a door or opening eighteen inches square on 
the eastern face, and level with the platform on which the chulpa stands. 
Inside there is a vault or chamber eleven feet square and thirteen feet 
high ; its sides rise vertically for about eight feet, and then come together 
to form a pointed arch. On each of the sides of the interior there is a 
niche three feet high and eighteen inches wide, and the entrance is di- 
rectly under one of these niches. 

The round chulpas have a close resemblance to the turf huts of the 
shepherds ; some of the huts have cornices, in imitation of the architecture 
of the chulpas, and it is possible that the form of the dwelling was taken 
from that of the burial-towers. 

On the road to Huancane Dr. Bronson and Frank turned aside to look 
at a sepulchre built of flat stones piled irregularly together. It is thought 
to be the earliest form of the chulpa, before the Inca architects had learned 
to shape their structures like the one just described. The stones were 
flat, some of them being five or six feet long, and correspondingly broad, 
with a thickness of twelve or "fifteen inches. Frank made a sketch of the 
monument, and introduced the figure of a man standing beside it, so that 
its proportions could be readily seen. 




AJSL'IEiNT SEPULCHRE. 



ON THE ROAD OVER THE ANDES. 



243 



CHAPTER XIV. 

OVER THE EASTERN ANDES INTO THE AMAZON VALLEY.— AN EXCITING JOURNEY. 
—ADVENTURES BY THE WAY.— TROUBLES OF TRAVELLING WITH A TIGER. 

r | ^HE lodgings of the travellers on their night at Huancane were an im- 
-*~ provement upon their quarters at Vilquechico. They had a stone 
floor to sleep upon in place of the bare ground, and the room was large 
enough to accommodate all three of them without crowding. They rose 

early, and managed to get out of 
the place in good season, in spite 
of the desire of their drivers to 
linger in the town, and the evident 
willingness of Manuel to accom- 
modate them. 

It was deemed prudent to see 
the baggage-train on its way be- 
fore venturing outside the limits 
of the town, and consequently our 
friends waited until the last of the 
burden-animals had received his 
load before they ordered the sad- 
dles placed on their mules. Under 
j|t the eye of his employers Manuel 
jBg worked vigorously, when he made 
g^ up his mind that further delay was 
If impossible. 

Immediately on leaving town 
the road began to ascend, and in a 

MANUEL. _ ° ' 

little while they were winding 
among the mountains in a way that recalled the journey from Guayaquil to 
Quito. The western shore of Lake Titicaca is comparatively low, but on 
the east the mountains come pretty close to the water, and in places fall 
off into precipices. In the region of Huancane the snowy peaks rise in 
full view, and seem but a few miles distant ; Sorata, the Crown of the 




244: 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Andes, fills the horizon in the south, and there are other peaks that con- 
tinue the chain far as the eye can reach. 

Up and down the hills wound the path, but, until the summit of the 
pass was reached, the nps were far more numerous than the downs. Four 
or five miles from Huancane the train halted at a hacienda where a train 
from the eastward had just arrived. The animals became a good deal 
mixed up, and as each of the trains was composed of mules and llamas in 
about equal proportions there was a prospect of trouble in sorting them 




5 






' " 1 1 !;., 



1 ; ^ ;:; 





- - -- - 



LOADING THE MULES. 



out. The Doctor suggested to Manuel the possibility of a trade, whereby 
they could send back all the llamas, and have the train consist entirely 
of mules. Somewhat to his surprise it was quickly arranged, through 
the offer of a small premium to the owners on each side. The loss of 
time in the transaction, and the changing of the loads, was more than 
made up by the superior speed of the mules. The llama cannot travel as 
far in a day as a mule can ; he carries less weight, and consequently a 
train of llamas is longer than a train of mules with the same amount of 
baggage, and more difficult to manage. 



THE PLAYFUL MULE. 



245 



Occasionally a load slipped or there was a kicking-match among the 
beasts of the train, bnt on the whole they got along very well. The mule 
of South America is much like his fellow in the North, but Frank was of 
the opinion that he is not so active with his heels. High altitudes may 
possibly render him more docile, and he may have the good sense to under- 
stand the folly of expending his energy against the air. The mules on 
these mountain paths follow their leaders with great fidelity $ the fore- 
most of the train wears a bell, and its tinkling- is the mae-ic sound which 
draws them on. If the bell is silenced the drivers have far more difficulty 
in managing their charges than when it is audible. 

But all is not smooth travelling with the hybrid beast of burden. The 
saddle mules were the best and strongest of the entire collection engaged 
by our friends, and on' several occasions they manifested their sportiveness 
in a way that was far from reassuring. The second morning of the jour- 
ney one of them began to dance just as his rider was putting a foot in 
the stirrup ; the others caught the contagion, and in a very few seconds 
all the saddles were empty, and the travellers were scattered on the ground 
or surveying the scene with feelings the reverse of amiable. Fortunately, 




THE ST A in'. 



246 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

the incident took place in the corral, and the unruly beasts were not able 
to escape. One after another they were secured and held until the mount 
could be successfully accomplished. In the evening Frank made a sketch 
of the scene, which contained a good deal of action to the square foot of 
paper. 

The road increased in roughness as they ascended to the crest of the 
pass, and the descent down the eastern slope of the mountains was equally 
steep. As they crossed the pass, 14,750 feet above the level of the sea, the 
air was thin and cold, and the glittering crests of the snow-covered moun- 
tains seemed to be close at hand. Far in the east the Cordilleras filled the 
horizon ; the party halted a few minutes, and Manuel indicated the route 
they were to follow among the mountains while descending into the valley 
of the Beni. It was too cold to stay long, and they were soon winding 
down the slippery path. 

Before nightfall they reached a hacienda, which was kept by an Indian 
for the accommodation of travellers. It was a sorry establishment, but as 
it was far better than no accommodation at all they passed the night 
there. The sleeping-quarters were open to the winds almost as much as 
the corral where the animals were secured ; a cold blast blew from the 
mountains, and the temperature hovered in the neighborhood of zero. 
There was no fire, or even a fire-place, but by a judicious use of all their 
wraps and coverings the travellers managed to sleep fairly. By the next 
night they were considerably farther down the slope, and experienced no 
more trouble with the cold. 

As they descended the mountains they entered the region of moisture, 
much like that encountered on going down to Napo from the crest of the 
Andes, near Quito. Clouds swept over them, the rains fell, vegetation was 
everywhere about them, and the indications of a change of climatic con- 
ditions were plainly to be seen. By and by the wooded district was 
reached, and with each mile of advance the density of the growth in- 
creased. 

It is interesting to watch the changes as one descends eastward from 
high elevations in the Andes. At the crest all is sterile — nothing but bare 
rocks, with possibly a few mosses clinging to their sides. No water is 
visible, but by and by we find a tiny thread formed by the melting snows, 
or the condensed vapor from the eastern winds. The thread enlarges ; 
after a time it grows to a brook, with little pools here and there in which 
a cup can be dipped, or our tired animals can drink. Most of the moun- 
tain trails follow the valleys and ravines which form the natural channels 
of the water, and so hour by hour the brook increases in width and volume. 



DESCENDING THE SLOPE OF THE ANDES. 



217 




A MOUNTAIN TRAIL. 



The mosses on the rocks grow more dense, they give place to shrubs, and 
the shrubs in turn give place to bushes. Then come stunted trees-, only a 
few inches in height, but having the form and ap]3earance of perfect 
trees, gnarled and twisted by the wintry blasts. 

The stunted trees are less and less dwarfed, and from inches they in- 
crease in height to feet. The ground is covered with grass, at first, in 
stray bunches, as though life was a struggle under the low temperature 
constantly surrounding them. The bundles increase in number till they 
become a carpet, and the rich verdure covers the open ground where the 
trees are absent. Bogs and swamps take the place of arid wastes. Pines 
and larches are larger and larger ; after a time they disappear to make way 
for foliferous trees. The way of the traveller is devious and full of toil ; 



248 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



it is blocked by fallen trunks mingled in perplexing confusion, and un- 
less he is where a road has been opened the progress of an hour is 
counted by feet or yards, in place of the miles left behind in the open 
country. 

Especially in the mountain ravines, where the trees have been swept 
down by the torrents, is the way thus obstructed. Trees and great stones 
are piled closely together, and sometimes they form an arch beneath which 
the stream meanders during the dry season. 




HACIENDA AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 



The first part of the downward journey is generally along the valley 
of a river flowing from the mountain, but after some thousands of feet 
of descent it is necessary to follow a larger stream, and cross one by one 
its numerous tributaries. There are fresh and great difficulties in this 
part of the route. After crossing a stream its bank must be ascended, 
sometimes almost precipitously, then a dividing ridge is traversed, and 
then comes the descent into the next valley. In this way the main 
valley is descended until the lower country is reached, where the river 
becomes tranquil, and suited to navigation by canoes or other craft. 



TRAVELLING BY SILLA. 249 

Dr. Bronson and his young companions travelled thus down the east- 
ern slope of the Andes into the valley of the Beni. Ten days after 
their departure from Huancane they reached the point were it was neces- 
sary to leave the mules; the drivers were paid off and discharged, and 
were ready to start back to the shore of Lake Titicaca. Fortunately, they 
found an engagement with a merchant who had some goods to transport 
over the mountains, and was glad to secure their services. 

For the next thirty miles the way was so steep and rough as to be im- 
practicable for even the sure-footed mule. Travellers have the choice of 
the silla or to go. on foot, while their baggage is carried on the backs of 
men. 

Frank and Fred looked doubtingly at the silla, and so did the Doctor. 
They preferred to walk, but at the suggestion of Dr. Bronson each of the 
party engaged a silla, to be used whenever he was inclined to it. 

Perhaps you are wondering what the silla is. It is thus described by 
Fred : 

" A bamboo chair is strapped to the back of the sillero, or porter, by 
means of belts going around his chest and another which crosses his fore- 
head. The traveller sits in this chair, with his feet supported on a step 
which forms part of the conveyance. He must sit perfectly still while 
the sillero is in motion, as the least change of position might cause the 
porter to stumble and fall, and a fall among the rocks is liable to be a very 
serious affair for both parties. 

" Mr. Horton, in his ' Twenty Months in the Andes,' tells of a Spanish 
officer who was travelling in this way, and wore a pair of spurs with which 
he occasionally prodded the porter, to urge him to greater speed. The 
latter took a fearful revenge. 

" Maddened with the pain produced by the cruel spurs, he pitched his 
rider headlong over a precipice, where there was a sheer fall of two or 
three hundred feet. The officer was killed instantly, and before his com- 
panions could secure the sillero the latter fled into the forest and escaped. 
The scene of this occurrence is pointed out, and there is little doubt of the 
truth of the story. It is easy to see that the traveller is entirely at the 
mercy of his carrier; knowing this, we were careful to secure the good- 
will of our silleros by promising an extra payment if they went through 
without accident. 

" We walked the greater part of the distance ; it may surprise you to 
know that we walked over the easiest part of the route, and rode where 
the way was dangerous, except in a few places. Manuel told us that these 
men were accustomed to this work from the time they were able to carry 



250 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 










BRSmp 







iw If- 




ANIMAL LIFE OF THE ANDES. 



251 



burdens, and they knew every inch of the way. It was really safer for us 
to ride on their backs, in the dangerous places, than to attempt to walk ; 
they knew exactly where to put their feet at every step, while we did not. 
We followed his advice and found it correct, and we were very careful, 
you may be sure, not to move a muscle when ascending or descending the 
steep slopes of the ravines." 

Three days were consumed in this journey of thirty miles. The por- 
ters with the baggage led the caravan, and sometimes they were an hour 
or more in advance of the travellers. At night they spread a small tent, 
which formed a part of their equipment, and were thus sheltered from 
the weather. It was necessary to wear rubber clothing, as the rains were 
frequent, and even with this precaution the evening generally found them 
wet through to the skin. But a change to dry clothing and several cups 
of steaming hot tea with their supper drove away all suggestions of rheu- 
matism and kindred ills resulting from the dampness, and they finished 
the novel ride without a mishap. 

Fred took note of the changes in the animal life as they descended 
from the crest of the great Andean chain'. In the mountains they fre- 
quently saw the condor, the giant bird of South America, whose range ex- 
tends from the Isthmus of Darien to the Strait of Magellan. Both the 
youths were disappointed in the size of the condor, which had been, grossly 
exaggerated in the tales of travellers and the accounts of the old histori- 
ans. He has been represented as having wings spreading fifteen or 
twenty feet from tip to tip. The largest they could, hear of measured 
thirteen feet, and even this was not entirely authentic; the largest they 
saw was nine feet across the win^s; Humboldt never found one of more 




DEAD WHALE ON SHORE. 



252 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



than nine feet, and the largest speci- 
men seen by Darwin measured eight 
and a half feet. The body from the 
tip of the beak to the end of the tail 
is from three to three and a half 
feet in extreme length. 

Equally exaggerated were the 
stories about the condors attacking 
men or carrying away children ; they 
belong to the vulture family, and 
though they sometimes carry off 
small animals, they greatly prefer to 
feed upon carcasses of horses, cattle, 
or similar beasts. They live usually 
in the mountains, but on the west 
coast they come down to the sea to 
feed upon dead whales, and they 
serve as scavengers on some of the 
cattle estates of Peru and other South American countries. 

Frank tried a shot at a condor one day, but the bird flew away 
unharmed. After his excitement was over the youth w r ondered what 
he would have done with his prize if the shot had been successful. An 
Indian offered to capture one alive for a couple of dollars ; Frank de- 
clined the proposal, but gave the man a small present to tell how it was 
done. 




SHOT AT A CONDOR. 



"Easy enough," was the reply, 
for the first dead ox, and im- 
mediately build a pen around 
him. The condor cannot rise 
from the ground without run- 
ning a short distance to get a 
headway, and this is the reason 
why I make the pen. 

" When my pen is done I go 
away. The condors come down 
to eat the flesh of the ox, and 
when they have gorged them- 
selves full I come around again. 
They cannot fly because they are 
so filled with food, and, besides, 



" I should watch near a cattle estate 




PUMA, COUGAK, OR AMERICAN LION. 



CONDOR, JAGUAR, AND CAPYBARA. 

they cannot get the short run they want to rise in tl 
are in the pen. I throw a lasso around one of 
throw another lasso and another; he tires himself 
tie more ropes around him, put him in a cage, c 
have him safe for two dollars." 

Frank thought he would like a condor's eg 
price for it. He was told that few persons liar 
condor, partly for the reason that the nests of 
cliffs, almost if not quite inaccessible, and part 
a superstitious fear of going in search of thet . 
stition there is the dread of the bird itself, v 
its nest, and is a match for a full-grown mai 
with a gun. It is no easy matter to shoot 
tough and protected by a dense mass of fea 

They looked for wild vicunas among 
Manuel said there were lions farther dowi 
low the timber line he pointed out some 
made by that beast. The lion is better do 
and it has a range from the lowlands up t 
thousand feet. It is not a courageous an 
if it has the opportunity. 

A more dangerous beast than the pun 
not infrequently called tiger. He is the n 
mal in the South American continent, and 
tive to cattle, though he rarely attacks man 
is spotted like the leopard, but his spots a, 
and there are dots in the centre of the a 
a jaguar " whose length surpassed that « 
which he had seen in the collections of 1 
ders of rivers and lagoons, and his favorite : 
ter is the largest of living rodents, and ret 
guinea-pig. The capybara is amphibious an 
through the valley of the Amazon and 
its tributaries ; he is sometimes called 
the water -hog, from his general re- 
semblance to the animal which supplies 
us with pork. His length often ex- 
ceeds three feet, and the naturalists 
say he is a connecting link between the 
rodents and the pachyderms. 



HE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

secured by our friends was a capybara. It was resting 
bank of a river, where it was seen by the sharp eyes 
le made the motion of bringing a gun to his shoulder, 
* Frank to advance ; the latter took his rifle from its 
?pt forward in the direction indicated. Consider- 
•equired to get a good position for a shot, as 
-plained that it was necessary to kill the animal 
into the water and be lost, 
remained quietly in the rear until Frank had 
, Then a well-directed bullet crashed through 
'.el ran forward and secured the prize, which 
3 next meal. It was a welcome addition to 
r ed excellent eating ; the good taste of the 
red said he wondered that the beast of prey 
3 as long as capybara meat was obtainable. 
Elated with his success in the 
hunting-field, Frank desired to try his 
skill upon a jaguar, but was advised to 
be careful. Manuel said there was 
i very little probability of his having the 
chance to shoot at one, as the jaguar 
rarely shows himself. He prefers see- 
ing to being seen, and unless you catch 
him swimming in the rivers or lagoons 
there is not much likelihood of ever 
setting eyes on him. 

" It sometimes happens," said the 

Doctor, " that the jaguar is seen in the 

water from a steamer on the river. A 

friend of mine was ascending the 

Amazon some years ago on one of the 

Brazilian boats. Just as they rounded 

ot saw a jaguar swimming from one bank 

mid-stream. The boat was turned in his 

1 his speed, but could not escape. The odds 

too much for the muscle ; the animal turned 

i, but the boat turned too and pressed him 

out into the middle of the river again ; a 

>uld follow his turnings much more readily 

1 few vigorous strokes of the oars brought 



THE JAGUAR AS A TURTLE-HUNTER. 



255 



the boat near him ; a lasso was thrown over his head, and then he wheeled 
abont and attacked his pursuers. 

" They had him at an advantage, as he could not sustain himself in the 
water and maintain a vigorous fight at the same time. Just as his paws 
touched the side of the boat he was killed by a bullet from a revolver ; 
his body was towed to the steamer and taken on board, where the skin was 
removed and carefully preserved. He was one of the largest of his race, 
and estimated to be only an inch or two less than three feet high at the 
shoulder when standing erect. He could have slaughtered and dragged 
off an ox easily. The jaguar's method of killing horses or oxen is to spring 
on the back, and break the animal's neck by a single blow of his powerful 
paw." 




GAME FOR THE JAGUAR. 



" The jaguar will dig in the sand for turtle's eggs,'' said Manuel, "and 
he will also kill and devour turtles of good size ; he can scoop out their 
shells as easily as though he had all the implements of a skilful cook, and 
he will stand in the water, where he seizes fish with his paws and tosses 
them on shore. If captured when very young he can be made as docile 
as a kitten, but when he gets his growth and strength he is a dangerous 
pet. I had one once," continued the guide, " and didn't realize what 
he was until he one day came near eating up one of my friends while 
playing with him. I concluded he was not good to have about a family, 
and sold him to a collector of curiosities." 

Fred asked what the collector did with him. 

" I heard that he had a hard time with the beast," said Manuel. "He 
went down the Amazon, and was several months on the voyage. By the 
time he reached Para the animal was nearly full-grown, and though per- 



256 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

fectly submissive was averse to familiarity on the part of strangers. He 
bit the hand of a passenger on one of the steamers, and it was necessary 
to shut .him in a cage; this made him ill-natured, and he refused to be 
quiet except in the presence of his owner. 







STEAMER LEAVING PAUA. 



" When the collector reached Para he received letters that called him 
down the coast, and compelled him to part with his pet. He tried to sell 
the beast, but nobody in Para wanted to buy a tiger ; then, he tried to give 
him away, but nobody would accept a tiger as a gift ; next he offered him 
to the city to start a menagerie with, but the city didn't propose starting 
one ; he tried to hire somebody to kill the beast, but nobody would take 
the contract ; then he caged him for shipment to England, but the agent 
of the steamer refused the freight ; the hotel-keeper wouldn't accept the 
tiger as security for the gentleman's board, and altogether he was in an 
awkward predicament. 

" When the southward-bound steamer arrived he took the tiger and 
cage along as part of his personal baggage, having placed a large stone in 
the bottom of the cage for the animal to ' scratch his claws upon.' The 
captain of the steamer demanded extra payment for such a package, the 
passenger refused it, and during the altercation the cage and contents 
were thrown overboard. The stone carried the whole thing to the bottom, 
and there it rested." 

"That was the end of the jaguar, I suppose?" queried Fred. 

" The end of the animal," was the reply, " but not of the owner's 
troubles. When the steamer returned to Para the authorities presented 
the captain with a bill for violating an ordinance relative to obstructing 
the harbor by throwing things overboard. He escaped responsibility on 



TROUBLES WITH A TIGER. 



257 



the ground that the animal was the personal luggage of the passenger ; 
when the latter came again to Para he was presented with the account, 
and had to pay it." 

" He was glad to get out of the scrape," remarked Frank, " and didn't 
hesitate to pay the final bill." 

"Quite likely," answered Manuel. " But somebody had fished up the 
drowned beast, and stuffed the skin. When the traveller had settled with 
the authorities the skin was brought to him. He paid for the work of 
preservation, and then sent the specimen to a friend in England, in care 
of a taxidermist. It arrived in bad condition, at least the taxidermist said 
so, as he sent a bill for repairs, and explained that he supposed the gentle- 
man wanted to have the skin in proper shape when presented to his friend. 

"He paid this bill, and happily it was the last. I don't believe he will 
buy another jaguar in a hurry." 

Manuel's story was voted a good one, and worthy of preservation- 
like the hide of the animal whose adventures it recorded. Frank agreed 
to be the taxidermist of the story, without charge ; he rendered Manuel's 
fluent Spanish into the vernacular of the United States, wherein it is here 
presented. 




HEAD OP NAVIGATION. 

17 



258 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XY. 

DOWN THE RIVER.— ARRIVAL ON THE BENL— BIRDS OF THE AMAZON VALLEY.— 
.BUILDING A HUT.— HUNTING WITH POISONED ARROWS.— TURTLES, AND TUR- 
TLE-HUNTING. 

ALL were heartily glad to terminate the journey by mule and on foot, 
and there was sound sleep in their little tent on the night following 
their arrival at the village on the river's bank. They were np early, and 
for two or three hours were occupied with paying the carriers, and negoti- 
ating for canoes for the voyage down the stream. The settlement with 
the carriers was less difficult than the engagement of the canoes. The 
price for land transportation had been agreed upon beforehand, so that there 
was little occasion for dispute ; the porters of the sillas had exaggerated 
ideas of the value of their services in bringing their charges through with- 
out accident ; but the question did not rise to anything like a serious mis- 
understanding. 




A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE. 



DESCENDING THE RAPIDS. 259 

The Indians of -the village were disinclined to move, as it happened 
to be a period of festival, and they resented the idea of stopping their 
rejoicings in order to make a voyage down the river. Manuel argued that 
it was a downward voyage, and they would have no hard work to do; by 
the time they were at their journey's end the festival would be over, and 
consequently the proposed trip would not really interfere with their 
amusements. They admitted the force of his suggestion, and when this 
was fairly conceded the negotiations proceeded, with some hitches, to a 
happy termination. 

In spite of all efforts to secure an early departure, they did not get 
away until the morning of the third day following their arrival from the 
Andes. Four canoes were engaged ; two for the baggage, and two for the 
three travellers and their guide. The canoes were each about twenty feet 
long, and .two in width; they were hollowed from the trunks of trees, 
and closely resembled the American "dugout." In fact they were liter- 
ally of that type of craft, and reminded Frank and Fred of the boats 
they had seen in the Malay Archipelago, and at Singapore and Point de 
Galle. 

Each canoe had four rowers, and a popero, or pilot ; the latter was an 
important personage, as the safety of the boat in the rapids depended upon 
his watchfulness, and his prompt action in moments of peril. The bag- 
gage was placed in two of the canoes; the third was occupied by Doctor 
Bronson and Frank, while the fourth held Fred and the guide. The 
Doctor and Frank led the advance, while Fred and the guide brought up 
the rear, the baggage canoes being in the centre of the column. After an 
affectionate parting of the Indians with their friends on shore the canoes 
were manned, and the flotilla was under way. The leave-taking of the 
Indians was peculiar ; they clasped hands, then kissed the hands alter- 
nately, and then kissed each other. As each Indian was obliged to go 
through this ceremony with every one whom he left behind, the oscula- 
tion consumed considerable time. 

The canoes were to take them to the point where the river they were 
descending unites with the Beni ; it was estimated that the downward 
journey would occupy two days, while the Indians would be eight or ten 
days in returning. In descending they keep the canoes in the middle of 
the stream, and take advantage of the current, but in ascending they hug 
the banks, and propel the boat by means of poles, or by dragging it around 
the rapids. The current is swift, as there is a considerable fall to the river ; 
nowhere was the flow less than three miles an hour, and in many places it 
amounted to five miles. Several rapids were passed which had a danger- 



260 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ous appearance, and undoubtedly they would have been full of peril to any 
one unaccustomed to them. 

Dr. Bronson certainly looked very serious while passing the first of the 
rapids, and the face of Frank wore an expression of anxiety. But their 
possible doubt as to the result was removed when they saw the skill with 
which the popero swung his long paddle, dexterously brought the canoe 
around when it seemed about to go headlong on a rock, and let it glide 
past a whirling eddy which threatened to swamp it. They were only a 
few minutes in the rapid, but it seemed at least an hour to the travellers. 

The trees on the banks of the river showed that they were in the 
tropics. Palms of several varieties were visible, bamboos grew luxuriantly, 
banana bushes were numerous, while papayas, plantains, and similar vege- 
table growths were everywhere to be seen. Frank had his rifle ready for 




A LANDING-PLACE. 



THE WONDEBFUL CAMPANEEO. 



261 



^ 



use in case of large game, but none was discovered ; birds rich in plumage 
flew among the trees, but, like most of the birds of the tropics, they were 
seen rather than heard. Few tropical birds have the power of song, and 
it is possible that their brilliant feathers are given in compensation for 
their deprivation. 

But do not understand that all the birds of :j. 

% 
Soutli America are unmusical. On the bor- . H% 

ders of .Guiana is a rare bird, known as the &\mk 

Uruponga or Campanero, which may be ren- ^%^. ' I; |« 
dered into English as "the tolling-bell bird." ~ '-. ^ _? ^ 

It is white, and somewhat smaller than a dove, y . x ; jM 

and has a black tubercle under the beak. One 
traveller, Waterton, says of this bird, " Or- 
pheus himself would drop his lute to listen to 
him, so sweet, so novel, and ro- 
mantic is the toll of the pretty, 
snow-white campanero." Sydney 
Smith, in reviewing Waterton 's 
narrative, says 
" The campanero 
may be heard three 
miles ! This single 
little bird being 
mo r e powerful 
than the belfry of 
a cathedral rinsr 



V 









ing for a new dean ! It is impossible to contra- 
dict a gentleman who has been in the forests of 
Cayenne, but we are determined, as soon as a 
campanero is brought to England, to make him toll 

in a public place, and have the distance measured." 

Professor Orton says the most remarkable songster of 

the Amazonian forest is the Realejo, or organ bird. Its 



262 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



notes are as musical as the flageolet. Another authority says it is the only 
songster which makes any impression on the- natives. The umbrella bird 
has a deep, lond, and long fluty note, which can be heard a great distance 
through the forest. He is black as a crow, and has a crest of waving 
plumes above his head, while there is a long lobe below his neck covered 
with blue feathers so glossy that they shine at every movement he 
makes. 

Before reaching the river our friends had seen a good many humming- 
birds, and Frank tried in vain to 
secure specimens of these tiniest 
members of the feathered race. On 
the river he was more fortunate, and 
he made sketches of some of the 
most remarkable, after fixing them 
upon wires, to give the greatest pos- 
sible resemblance to life. There is 
one variety that has two long feath- 
ers forming the tail ; each of these 
feathers has a broad tuft at the end, 
and when the bird darts among the 
leaves and flowers the tail seems 
like a flash of bright color among 
the varied hues of the foliage. 
A little past noon the foremost boat drew up at the bank, and the 
others followed its example. Here they remained an hour, while the boat- 
men partook of their repast of bananas and parched corn, and the civilized 
travellers regaled themselves upon provisions better suited to American 
tastes. Frank and Fred endeavored to take a stroll in the forest, but the 
way was blocked by vines and thick undergrowth, so that their advance 
was slight. 

Frank saw a toucan, one of those comical birds, with an enormous 
beak which seems specially made for devouring bananas ; the bird was 
seated on the sloping trunk of a tree, and close observation showed the 
head of another bird of the same kind protruding from the wood. Frank 
guessed rightly that he had come upon a pair of toucans and their nest. 
The toucan makes his home in a hollow tree, as his bill is quite unadapted 
to nest-building after the manner of the robin or the oriole. Think of a 
toucan endeavoring to weave a nest like the graceful structure the oriole 
hangs from the tree! As well expect to see a lace collar wrought with a 
crowbar. 




HUMMING-BIUD S NEST. 



BIRD-NESTING ON THE AMAZON. 



263 




PAIR OF TOUCANS AND THEIR NEST. 



On they went through the tropical forest, along the swiftly flowing 
river, passing now and then little stretches of open pampas or grassy plain, 
where there is excellent pastnrage for cattle. At night they halted at an 
island ; the boatmen always prefer to pass the nights on islands when 
journeying along the river, as they are then much more secure against the 
wild Indians who might do them harm. Most of the hostiles are without 
boats, and even when possessing them they are cautious about venturing 
on the islands for the purpose of making an attack. They greatly prefer 
to have a safe line of retreat behind them in the shape of the forest, 
where pursuit is next to impossible. 

At their second day's nooning it was Fred's turn to make a discovery 
in ornithology. Several times they had heard the shrill voice of the par- 
rot, but had not succeeded in detecting the bird that made it ; at the halt- 
ing-place we have just mentioned Fred saw two or three parrots among 
the trees just as his boat swung to the shore, but they flew away at the 
approach of their disturbers and disappeared. As soon as they had landed, 
the youth followed in the direction the birds had taken, and was fortu- 
nate enough to see them again ; evidently they were near their nesting- 
place, but they did not manifest any willingness to invite the stranger to 
see them at home. 



264 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The hooked bill of the parrot is as inconvenient in nest-making as the 
great beak of the toucan ; the philosophical bird accepts the situation, 
and rears its young in a hollow tree, like its huge-billed friend. Parrots 
are more numerous than toucans and also more noisy ; probably for these 
reasons they are seen quite frequently, while the discovery of a toucan is 
not easily made. The Doctor said a traveller might make the descent of 
the Amazon without seeing one of the latter birds, while he would en- 
counter the parrot very often. Consequently Frank might feel proud of 
what he had seen the day before, and but for the accident of stumbling 
upon the locality of the nest he would not have been thus favored. Occa- 
sionally parrots and toucans are found together ; both are gregarious, and 
the same may be said of most of the birds of South America. 




TANAGEES AND NEST. 



To the parrot family belong the true parrots, paroquets, and macaws. 
Paroquets go in flocks, while the parrots always fly in pairs, though they 
flock together in large numbers on the trees. A few Indian tribes consid- 
er the macaw sacred, and it is called by some of them " the bird of the sun." 

It was near evening when they reached their destination, a village of 
perhaps fifty huts, on the tongue of land forming the junction between 
the Beni and the river they had descended. Half the payment for the 
boats and boatmen had been made before starting; the balance was now 
due, but by common consent the settlement was postponed till morning. 
All the huts were so intolerably dirty that the travellers refused to oc- 
cupy one of them ; the little tent was spread near the cleanest of the 
huts, the baggage being piled in the latter, in charge of Manuel, while the 
Doctor and his young companions slept under canvas. 



HOUSE-BUILDING BY THE TRAVELLERS. 



265 




boatmen 
were paid off in 
the morning, and 
started at once on 
their homeward 
journey. The 
prospects for an 
immediate depart- 
ure down the Beni were not brilliant, as most 
of the Indians were away, and nobody conld 
say when they would return. They were absent on a turtle-hunting 
expedition along the Beni; they might be back in a day or not for a 
week. Quien sabe ? 

"Never mind," said the Doctor; "what can't be cured must be en- 
dured. We will build a hut for ourselves, and study the Beni and any- 
thing else that comes in our way. We can make excursions into the 
forest and learn something of the country. The time will not be wasted, 
by any means." 

Frank and Fred assented readily to the proposal ; in fact, they never 
did anything else when the Doctor gave advice or suggestions. 



266 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



But it wavS easier to agree to build a hut than to build it. Labor was 
not easy to obtain. 

The forest supplied the material, but it was difficult to induce the 
Indians to do anything. After considerable argument they prevailed 
upon some of the men to cut the requisite bamboos, and bring them to 
the spot selected for the temporary dwelling. Under the supervision of 
the youths and their guide, the walls were put up by driving some of the 
bamboos into the ground ; a space was left for a doorway ; the roof was 
put oil, and thatched with leaves of the Pandanus palm ; and by night- 
fall the new house was completed. It measured about twelve feet by 




AN AMAZONIAN DWELLING. 



fifteen, and was admirably ventilated ; the total cost was estimated at six 
dollars and a half, and it was pronounced one of the handsomest struct- 
ures in the village. The Indians were well paid for their labor, according 
to the rates of the local trades union ; and it was understood that the 
building was to become the property of the alcalde, or chief man of the 
village, after the departure of the strangers. 

The alcalde surveyed the edifice with evident pride, and the Doctor 
thought he discovered an avaricious expression on the fellow's face. 
Frank and Fred thought likewise. 

" I tell you what it is," said Fred, " we have ' builded wiser than we 



HOW THE MADEIRA IS FORMED. 



267 



knew.' He will be anxious enough to get us away in order to take pos- 
session of bis new residence." 

" I was thinking the same thing,'' said Frank, " and we shall save 
more than the cost of the building when we make our bargain with the 
alcalde for boats to go down the river." 

It was the first new house erected in that village for several years, 
and the alcalde was covetous. The prediction of the youths was correct, 
and the old fellow was quite active in speeding the parting guests. When 
the Indians returned from their turtle -hunt the bargains were easily 
made and the necessary boats and men obtained. But they did not re- 
turn for a week, and while we are waiting for them we will take a glance 
at the Beni and observe its peculiarities. 

The Beni is formed by several head streams, that rise in the Andes 
east and northeast of the plain of Titicaca. It flows to the northwest 
for about three hundred miles, receiving numerous tributaries, and then in 
a northeasterly direction to the frontier of Brazil. Here it enters the 
Madeira, which is formed by the Mam ore and Itenez Rivers, and from 
the point of junction its name and identity are lost. It is the largest of 




NEAR THE VILLAGE. 



2(58 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

the affluents of the Madeira, and is thought to be equal to both the other 
streams combined. It is half a mile wide at its mouth, and fifty feet 
deep, and is estimated to discharge at an ordinary stage five thousand 
cubic yards of water every second. 

The Beni and its tributaries are navigable for many hundreds of 
miles in the interior of Bolivia; how far this navigation may be carried 
is not known, as no complete survey has been made. With a fleet of 
steamboats on the Beni and its kindred streams, and a railway around the 
falls of the Madeira, the resources of Bolivia could be developed with 
ease ; until that work is accomplished the foreign commerce of the coun- 
try can never be extensive. 

Through much of its course the Beni runs through forests, but there is 
also a wide extent of pampas or grassy plains, where millions of cattle and 
horses might find pasturage. So abundant and cheap are the cattle at 
the present time that they are killed for their hides alone, the flesh being 
left to rot on the ground. The other rivers that form the Madeira trav- 
erse a similar country, but have their sources farther east than those of 
the Beni. They are' fed by the rains brought from the Atlantic by the 
easterly winds, which are heavily charged with moisture. 

Frank and Fred were not slow to win the confidence of the Indians 
during their stay at the village; through the aid of Manuel, who under- 
stood the language of this people, they learned some of the ways of na- 
tive life on the tributaries of the Amazon. They did not hesitate to ask 
questions about anything they saw ; sometimes the answers were evasive, 
while at others the information sought was readily obtained. 

While visiting one of the huts Fred espied some reeds, ten or twelve 
feet long and perfectly straight, among the rafters of the building. Point- 
ing to them, the youth asked what they were for. 

"They are guns," answered Manuel ; "the guns that the Indians kill 
game with." 

"How can they kill game with guns like these?" queried the aston- 
ished visitor. " They would explode with the lightest charge of powder." 

" But they don't use powder at all," was the reply ; " they blow arrows 
through the reeds, and shoot in that way.'* 

Fred expressed a desire to see how it was done, and Frank joined in 
the wish. Manuel talked a moment with the owner of the implements, 
and at Fred's suggestion agreed to pay a good price for a chicken if the 
Indian would kill it with the blow-gun. The Indian consented, and the 
party adjourned to the open space near the new house. 

The Indian placed a small arrow in one of the reeds. The missile had 



HUNTING WITH THE BLOW-GUN. 



269 



a sharp point of iron, and was fitted with a tuft of cotton at its other 
end, to prevent the air from passing it during the act of shooting. Tims 
equipped, the man took a position behind a bush, and the unsuspecting 
chicken was placed on the ground about twenty yards away. 

The bird walked around a few moments, uncertain where to go. The In- 
dian raised the reed to his lips, took aim, and "fired." 

The arrow went true to the mark, and pierced 
through the chicken from side to side. The man of- 
fered to repeat the experiment as long as the visitors 
would pay for fresh game, but they had seen enough 
to satisfy them, and declined his proposal. 

" But can they kill large animals in this way V 
said Frank. " I understand how they can shoot 
birds by concealing themselves in the trees, and 
watching for them to come near, but when it comes 
to large game, I wonder how they can give force 
enough to the arrows, especially where the animals 
have tough skins, like the capybara and the tapir." 

"For killing large game," replied Manuel, " they 
use arrows poisoned with curari or woorara. The 
name has several pronunciations in different parts of 
South America, and there are at least half a dozen 
kinds of the poison." 

" What is that ?" 

"If you should ask the Indian he would not tell 
you. The Indians have long guarded the secret of 
its origin and preparation, but it was obtained from 
them some years ago by Sir Robert Schomburgh, I 
believe. It is made from the juice of the Strychnos 
toxifera, a tree or shrub resembling that which sup- 
plies the St. Ignatius bean ; the St. Ignatius bean is 
familiarly known as the ' Quaker button,' and yields 
the strj'chnine or nux vomica of commerce." 

"But it is more powerful even than strychnine," 
said the Doctor, who had just joined them ; " in fact, 
it is considered the most active narcotic known to 
science. It acts on the nervous system and produces paralysis, with con- 
vulsive movements followed by death. It has been tried with some suc- 
cess in the treatment of lockjaw and hydrophobia, but it is too danger- 
ous for general use. 



AGATE, OR SISAL HEMP. 



270 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

"If introduced into a wound its effect is almost instantaneous, but 
when taken through the stomach in minute, quantities it is comparatively 
harmless. Now let us hear from Manuel how it is used by the Indians." 

"They dip the points of the arrows in curari," said the latter, "and 
project the arrows at the game. If it punctures the skin enough to let 
the poison enter the blood the work is done. In a few seconds or a few 
minutes at farthest the animal falls to the ground and dies in convulsions, 
and it is a curious fact that the flesh is in no way tainted with the deadly 
substance. A bear or a tapir has died within five minutes after being 
wounded, and smaller animals in less than one minute. Great care is 
necessary in using it, as the least scratch with the point of a poisoned 
arrow may prove fatal to the hunter. 

"These Indians will kill more birds in a day with the blow-gun than 
the most experienced hunter could bring down with a rifle. When they 
go out for birds they use arrows only a few inches long. Taking a po- 
sition in the top of a tree, an Indian will often empty his quiver, bring- 
ing down bird after bird as fast as he can load and shoot. The weapon 
is noiseless, and the man remains in concealment till he has finished his 
work and is ready to pick up his game." 

Frank and Fred thought they did not care to practise with these 
weapons, however effective they might be, and they determined to keep 
on the friendly side of the Indians, and thus avoid being aimed at with 
the deadly blow-gun. The Indian was paid for his chicken, and the 
party separated. 

They made a short excursion into the forest, and were greatly im- 
pressed with the size of the trees, and the great extent of arboreal pro- 
ductions. Travelling was difficult, owing to the thickness of the under- 
brush and the vast number of vines that covered the ground and hung in 
festoons from the trees. Several varieties of mahogany were observed ; 
a rubber-tree was pointed out by Manuel; there were half a dozen kinds 
of palms, and they were told that many more were to be seen farther 
down the river; and there were several giant trees with soft wood, whose 
names are not known to the English language. 

One day Manuel took a skiff and rowed out into the river with the 
avowed intention of bringing in a turtle for dinner; he was accompanied 
by an Indian, the one who had experimented with the blow-gun, but 
this time the fellow was armed with a spear, and an ordinary bow and 
arrow. 

Fred wondered how the turtle was to be taken with these implements, 
but he had not long to wait before ascertaining. 



SOUTH AMERICAN SPOKT. 



■271 




272 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




A GIANT OF THE FOREST. 



The Indian stood in the bow of the skiff with the bow and arrow 
ready, while Manuel paddled slowly along, taking the direction indicated 
by the marksman. Keeping where the water was shallow, they traversed 
quite a distance before anything worth shooting was found. After a 
while the Indian spied a turtle, and the boat was rapidly rowed in his 
direction. 

The arrow was skilfully projected, and pierced the turtle through the 
neck. He tried to get away, but his progress was impeded by the arrow, 
which gave an opportunity for using the spear ; then a cord was passed 
around the turtle's neck and he was brought triumphantly to land. 

On the lower Amazon the hunters have a cord wound around the 
shaft of the arrow, to which it is fastened ; the other end of the cord is 
tied to the head, which fits loosely in the shaft. When a turtle is struck he 
dives ; the head detaches from the shaft, the cord unwinds, and the stick 



HOW TURTLES ARE CAUGHT. 



273 



floats on the water. The hunter can then follow his game, and easily se- 
cures it by hauling in the cord. 

Our friends supped on turtle as the result of Manuel's hunting advent- 
ure. They found it palatable, especially when served up in steaks, 
though Frank was of opinion that it could not be surpassed in a stew. 
The next day the hunting-party returned, and the market of the little vil- 
lage was abundantly supplied with turtle meat. 

Frank interested himself in the history and statistics of the Amazonian 
turtle, with the following result : 




TURTLE-SHOOTING IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" Turtles are the most important product of the Amazon and its tribu- 
taries, and furnish the sustenance of the majority of the natives of the 
great valley. Seven kinds of turtles are known to the natives, but only 
two of them, the tartaruga or charapa, and the charapilla, are eaten. 
The charapa is the largest, being often found three feet long and broad 
in proportion, but the charapilla is considered the best. 

" The eggs of the turtle are used for making oil or butter, and also for 
cooking in various ways. They are found along the banks of the rivers 
or on sand-bars; the charapa lays from one hundred and fifty to two 
hundred eggs, and the charapilla from thirty to forty. The turtle comes 
up at night, digs a hole two or three feet deep in the sand with its hind 
flippers, and then deposits its eggs. It covers them with sand again and 
returns to the water, unless, as too often happens, it is caught by the na- 
tive who has been on the watch for it. I say 'too often,' as the indis- 
criminate slaughter of the turtle and the destruction of the eo-as are fast 
reducing the number and raising the price. The hunters turn the turtles 

18 



274 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



on their backs and there leave them till the next day, when they return 
and collect them. Once on its back the poor turtle is helpless. 

" The natives hunt for turtle eggs by pushing sticks in the sand ; if 
the stick enters easily it reveals the locality of the deposit, and a little 
digging brings it to light. It is estimated that not fewer than fifty mill- 
ions of turtle eggs are taken every year on the Amazon and its tributaries, 
and some authorities think the number is much larger. 

" The wonder is that any turtles remain. They are shot in the water 
or caught when returning from the banks where they have deposited 
their eggs ; young turtles by the thousand are eaten by alligators and 
large fishes ; jaguars and pumas seize them when they are travelling over- 




TORTLE -TURNING. 



land, to or from their nesting-places; and the birds of prey by no means let 
them alone. But they could get along well enough were it not for their 
human foes, which are the worst of all. The turtles of the Amazon will 
follow the fate of the buffalo and the salmon of North America whenever 
the country becomes fully peopled and the demand increases in proportion. 
" The Indians have brought back many gallons of oil from turtles' 
eggs, which they made during their absence. The eggs are thrown into 
a canoe, and then trampled and beaten up by the feet of men and boys till 
the mass resembles a Brobdingnagian omelette ready for cooking. Water 
is poured into the canoe and mixed with the stuff; the oil rises to the 
surface and is skimmed off. Then it is purified over the fire and put 
into jars holding about three gallons each, for transportation to market." 



DESCENDING THE BENI. 275 



CHAPTER XVI. 

DOWN THE BENI.— PRODUCTS OF THE VALLEY.— PLANS FOR DEVELOPING COM- 
MERCE.— OBSTRUCTIONS TO NAVIGATION.— VOYAGE ON THE MAMORE. 

"1VTEGOTIATIOXS for descending the river could not proceed with 
-*-^ rapidity, as the Indians were in no hurry to get away after their 
return from the turtle- hunt. Everything among these people is con- 
nected in one way or another with a festival, and it was necessary to cele- 
brate the success of the expedition with a period of rejoicing. The al- 
calde did his best, but though he possesses great power, an alcalde is not 
absolute in his authority at all times ; it was finally arranged that the fes- 
tivity would continue two days, and on the morning of the third our 
friends could hope to depart. 

The morning came, but there were still many things to be done, and 
it was fully noon before the boats were ready. As there were no rapids 
to pass, it was decided to lash two boats together side by side and con- 
nect them with a platform. The tent could be spread on this platform, 
in addition to an awning of palm-leaves, to shelter the travellers from the 
heat of the sun and the not infrequent rains. Two of the largest attain- 
able boats were taken and connected in this way. It proved an excellent 
arrangement, and the party was unanimous in recommending it to all fut- 
ure travellers descending the tributaries of the Amazon where they are 
not navigated by steamboats. 

The rowers and pilots had little to do beyond keeping the raft (as we 
will call the combination of boats and platform just described) in the 
middle of the stream, where the current was strongest. There was a good 
deal of drift-wood in the river, but it was far less troublesome than if 
their course had been up the stream. Dr. Bronson explained to the 
youths that Madeira means " wood," and the Madeira River, into which 
the Beni flows, was so named by the Portuguese in consequence of the 
great number of floating trees that were met by the early explorers. The 
Beni contributes more than its share of this floating material, as the 
forests extend far along its banks, which are constantly crumbling away 



276 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN T SOUTH AMERICA. 



through the action of the current. In many places the Beni resembles 
the Missouri, and seems to be subject to the same forces of nature. 

Forests and pampas, pampas 
and forests, succeeded each other 
as the raft followed the course of 
this affluent of the mighty Ama- 
zon. Parrots and toucans and 
other birds flew among the trees, 
monkeys stared in astonishment, 
jumped from limb to limb, swung 
by feet and tail, and kept up a 
continual chattering as the raft 
floated by their haunts. Frank 
made note of the difference be- 
tween the South American mon- 
key and his Asiatic brother ; he 
had never seen the latter using his 
tail for anything but ornamental 
purposes, while with the South 
American monkey it gave the ad- 
vantage of an extra hand or foot. 

" The Asiatic monkey's tail is 
not prehensile," said the Doctor, 
"and all monkeys of South 
America have not this advantage. 
In the words of a famous natu- 
ralist," he continued, " all mon- 
keys with prehensile tails are 
American, but all American 
monkeys do not have prehensile 
tails. The Asiatic monkey does not seem to have heard of such a 
thing, though some of the varieties of monkey in the far East occasionally 
use the tail in a bungling sort of way. Professor Wallace lived four 
years in South America, and in that time he saw twenty-one species of 
monkey, seven with prehensile and fourteen with non - prehensile tails. 
All the American monkeys are climbers, and live in the trees, while such 
is not the case in the old world." 

While they were talking on the subject of monkeys a most un- 
earthly yell was heard in the forest to the right of the raft. Both the 
boys turned in amazement to Manuel, and asked what it was. 




SOUTH AMERICAN KIVKR SCENE. 



AN OBJECTIONABLE PET. 



277 



"It's a guariba," said Manuel, " as the natives call it." 

" And what is a guariba?" Fred inquired. 

" A guariba is a howling monkey," the guide answered, " and that is 
the noise he makes. You can hear him a long distance, and he howls 
night and day without seeming to get tired of the amusement." 

" There are three kinds of howl- 
ing monkeys in South America," 
said the Doctor, " but the difference 
is more observable in their ap- 
pearance than in their voices. The 
braying of a mule is like the note of 
a violin, compared to the noise of 
a howling monkey in good health 
and condition, accompanied by his 
friends. The howlers, like most 
others of the Simian family, are 
gregarious, and if we happen to 
have our camp near a village of 
them we shall not sleep much." 

Frank thought he would buy 
one of these brutes and take him 
home, but Manuel said the howlers 
could not be tamed. 

" A wise provision of nature," 
remarked Fred. "Imagine your 
neighbor having a pet howler; it 
would be worse than all the cats in 
a dozen blocks of New York city." 

Frank agreed with him, and 
changed his views on the subject of 
domesticating one of these curiosi- 
ties. Manuel said further that the na- 
tives had repeatedly tried to tame the 
howlers, but could not ; they were 
the only members of the monkey 
family in South America that utter- 
ly refused to be converted into pets. 

They fell into the monkey-market sooner than they had expected. 
While passing an island, an hour or two before sunset, they saw two or 
three canoes drawn up on the shore, and at the Doctor's suggestion Man- 




SOUTII AMERICAN MONKEY WITH PREHENSILE TAIL. 



278 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS EST SOUTH AMERICA. 




HOWLING MONKEY. 



nel told the pilot to run in and 
see who and what the owners 
were. They proved to be a 
hunting-party of Indians from 
the other side of the river ; 
they had been successful in 
killing several monkeys, and 
offered some of the meat for 
sale. 

Frank and Fred thought it 
would be too much like canni- 
balism to eat of monkey meat, 
and the Doctor agreed with 
them. Manuel said the flesh of the howler was not to be recommended, 
as it was dry and tough, but there were some varieties on the lower Ama- 
zon which were not to be despised. He particularly mentioned the white- 
whiskered coaita, one of the thumbless " spider- monkeys," which was 
held in high repute among the natives. Another variety called the ma- 
quisapa was said to be good eating, but he could not speak from personal 
knowledge. Monkey flesh is an important article of food in many parts 
of the Amazon valley, and there are certain districts where it is the only 
meat to be had. 

But monkey in its live form was not declined, at least in limited quan- 
tity. One of the Indians offered a marmoset, a pretty little creature 
about eight inches long, and with a soft, silky fur covering its skin. It 
was restless and timid ; at first it shrank from the yqnth, but quickly 
seemed to understand that it would find him a better master than the In- 
dian. He took it in his hand and gently stroked its back ; in a few mo- 
ments it clung to him, and when the Indian reached for his property the 
little creature struggled to remain. 

Frank's sympathies were awakened by the affection displayed by the 
marmoset, and a bargain was quickly made. Manuel conducted the ne- 
gotiation, and the monkey became the property of the youth for an outlay 
of fifty cents. He paid a high price, as he afterwards ascertained, but at 
that time he was not familiar with the market quotations for this kind of 
live-stock. 

Marmosets are the smallest members of the monkey family. The 
name is confined to the American varieties, and is sometimes restricted to 
the striated monkey of Guiana or Brazil. This last-named monkey has a 
tail a third longer than the body, the latter rarely exceeding eight or ten 



MARMOSETS AND SAPAJOUS. 



279 



inches. Its fur is long and soft, and of a yellowish-gray color ; both tail 
and body are banded with black, and there is a long tuft of white hairs 
on each side of the head, which is of a deep black or brown. 

The new purchase received the name of Gypsy, and soon became a 
general favorite with the party, though it always recognized Frank as its 
master. It was a well-behaved pet, and, contrary to Frank's expectation, 
it never indulged in mischievous tricks. Manuel said the marmosets were 
rarely destructive, but the same could not be said of the rest of the 
monkey tribe in South America. The sapajous, he pronounced the 
worst of the lot ; they are distributed through Brazil, and, though affec- 
tionate enough as pets, are too mischievous to be kept in a house or camp. 




rflf v!;4 . . M. ■■; .i-V; ill 



.-JHL. 

• ■' *;v>..,- ■■■■- /; 






■ ■■..■ ->■ ; 
■-- - - -. ""./» Til'* 



/.', y?L 



i 



A MONKEY ROBBING BIRDS' NESTS. 



" Three or four years ago," said Manuel, "I was on the Ma mo re River 
with an English gentleman who had bought a sapajou while ascending 
the Amazon. He kept the fellow in a cage for a while, and then allowed 
him the run of the boat. The first day he was at liberty he threw over- 
board two of the dinner plates, and was punished by being shut up 
affain. 



280 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" When he was free once more, he picked np a book that was lying on 
the deck, and when discovered he had torn out at least half the leaves, and 
tossed them into the water. He was again caged, and after a time was let 
out, but they fastened a chain about him so that he could not run around. 

" Under this restraint he behaved very well, and displayed, or pre- 
tended to display, a fondness for his owner. The gentleman was one day 
working at the notes of his journey, and the monkey was chained close to 
his table, under the awning in the centre of the boat. 

" He had a large map on the table, and had been marking his route 
with red ink along the course of the river. He was called suddenly from 



*&M ^ ^ ! 



. . ... . . -.™JSilS 

i - m 

Hl^.«if: 




HUNTING THE MONKEY. 



MOSQUITOES IN THE AMAZON VALLEY. 281 

the table, leaving the map and the ink-bottle within the monkey's 
reach. 

" As soon as he had gone, the monkey, doubtless in a spirit of imita- 
tion, climbed to the table, pulled the map towards him, and with his paw, 
dipped in the ink, made an imaginary survey of a railway or a steamboat 
route, at least a thousand miles long, according to the scale of the drawing. 
Just as he was finishing the performance the master returned, and caught 
him at it." 

" What happened to the monkey ?" Fred asked. 

" I don't know exactly what became of him," was the reply. " He 
was given to one of the boatmen, who sold him to an Indian at the next 
landing. It wasn't safe to mention monkey to that gentleman for the rest 
of the time he stayed in the country." 

Sunset came, and they stopped for the night. The raft was tied up at 
a small island, where there was little prospect of disturbance by hostile 
Indians ; the tribe occupying this part of the country did not have a bad 
reputation, and there was no real danger, but the pilot was cautious on 
general principles. Watch was kept through the night, but nothing hap- 
pened to disturb the slumber of those whose duties did not require them 
to be wakeful, if we except the visits of the mosquitoes. 

Mosquitoes are the pests of the upper part of the entire valley of the 
Amazon. The} 7 are found wherever the rains fall, from the foot of the 
Andes, eastward, until within a few hundred miles of the Atlantic coast, 
from which they are kept in great measure, though not entirely, by the 
force of the trade winds. The middle Amazon swarms with them, and the 
Maranon, Madeira, and other tributaries are almost uninhabitable at certain 
seasons of the year, in consequence of these nuisances. They are always 
on duty, and no manner of objecting to their presence will induce them 
to leave. 

There are several varieties of mosquitoes, some working at night, and 
others in the day-time; between them they divide the hours, and give their 
victim no chance for rest. The Indians say they always come in greater 
swarms than usual when a traveller is approaching, and evidently they can 
scent blood from afar. Frank said " the mosquitoes fairly danced with 
joy at the arrival of our party." A mass meeting was called, which was 
attended by some millions of mosquitoes, " very hungry and very thirsty." 
This mass meeting was kept up as long as they were in the region of the 
upper and middle Amazon. After passing Manaos, on their way down 
the river, there were few mosquitoes, and these few were not as voracious 
as their more uncivilized brethren. 



282 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

Parts of Brazil and Bolivia will long remain unsettled, owing to the 
perpetual annoyance caused by the mosquitoes. Their powers were tested 
by one traveller, Dr. Spruce, who, in the interest of science, allowed the 
insects to feed upon him without interruption, and found they took three 
ounces of blood daily ! 

Our friends were provided with mosquito nettings, and brought them 
into use on entering the mosquito-haunted region. At night they sur- 
rounded their beds with them, and by day kept their heads enveloped in 
the small nets made for that purpose ; in this way they managed to keep 
from being devoured bodily, or bled to death, but could not escape the 
annoyance and constant inconvenience of the presence of the dreaded 
carapana, as he is called by the Brazilians. 




AMAZONIAN MOSQUITOES AT HOME. 



The mosquito is not the only insect pest of the Amazon valley. Pro- 
fessor Orton says the pium, or sand-fly, is almost as bad as the better- 
known tormentor. Pie has two triangular, horny lancets, which leave a 
small circular red spot on the skin. There are several species, all working 
by day, and relieving the mosquito from sunrise to sunset. Then there is 
the maruim, which resembles the pium, and inhabits some, but not all, of 
the valleys ; Humboldt estimated that there was a million of them to a 
cubic foot of air where he was. There is also the mutuca, which resem- 
bles a horse-fly ; one variety has a lancet half an inch long, and he knows 
how to use it to advantage. 

There is a carapato, or tick, which mounts to the tips of the blades of 
grass, and attaches himself to any one brushing against them. The cara- 
patas bury themselves so deeply that their heads break off at any attempt 
to pull them out ; their bite is painless, but it often causes sores and ulcers. 
Happily, their range is less extensive than that of the mosquito, and some 
parts of the country are wholly free from them. 

Frank asked Manuel how the natives, who had no nets, managed to 
get along in the height of the mosquito season. 

"They get along very badly," was the reply. "One plan is to cover 



BATTLING WITH INSECT PESTS. 



>S3 



siflilfc 



" -^^-^ r I ~\ I 







flillli 

■■Hit : 

1»W 





AN INDIAN OF NORTHERN BOLIVIA. 






ith oil, which 
don't like, but 
ve them away, 
idling or smoking keeps 
them down, but then it is 
almost as bad for the people 
as for the mosquitoes. Some- 



times they bury themselves in the sand, leaving only the head exposed ; 
this they cover with a piece of wetted cloth, either wrapped around the 
head, or supported above it like a miniature tent. Some of the Indians 



2S-J. THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

plaster their bodies with mud, laying it on like varnish, and allowing it 
to dry, but it has to be pretty thick to keep the mosquitoes from penetrat- 
ing it. Some of the insects will pierce through any ordinary clothing; I 
have heard of their going through ordinary shoe-leather, but never saw 
with my own eyes a mosquito that could do it." 

Sheltered by their nettings, they passed the night in comparative com- 
fort, and were off early in the morning. In fact, the raft was in motion 
before the youths had risen ; the Indians were so silent in their move- 
ments that they did not disturb the slumber of the travellers. Frank 
made a comparison with the noisy boatmen of the Nile which was very 
much in favor of the Indians of the Beni. 

About seven o'clock they stopped for breakfast and the scene was so 
picturesque that Frank made a sketch of it. 

The spot they chose was under some lofty trees covered with climbing 
plants, where previous visitors had removed enough of the undergrowth 
to render the place suitable for a temporary camp. A fire was kindled, 
and over it they placed a pot for the concoction of a porridge of meat and 
mandioca flour mingled with water. A hammock was stretched between 
two of the trees, and a large fish that had been caught early in the morn- 
ing was hung up by way of ornament. 

While the soup was in preparation, one of the men busied himself 
with pounding a piece of bast, or the inner bark of a tree, with a wooden 
hammer. Much of the clothing of the Amazonian Indians is made in 
this way; the material resembles the famous tappa-cloth of the South 
Sea Islands, and though not very serviceable, it has the merit of great 
cheapness. 

The breakfast, when ready, was distributed by the eapitano or first mate, 
who served each man in turn. It was devoured with a good appetite, and 
in a little while the crew was ready to resume the journey. The travellers 
amused themselves by studying the peculiarities of the forest, and took 
their own breakfast while the boat was floating down the stream. 

" If all goes well," said the Doctor, " we shall not be long in reaching 
the junction with the Madeira, and the falls of that stream." 

" Then we have some falls to pass, have we ?" Frank asked. 

" Yes," replied the Doctor, " and they are a serious hinderance to navi- 
gation. In descending we can ' shoot' some of them, though not all; but 
if we were ascending the river it would be different. The boats must be 
dragged around the falls, or their cargoes unloaded and transported to 
other boats beyond the falls. 

" The Madeira drains an area of forty thousand square leagues," he 



FALLS OF THE MADEIRA. 



2S5 




BREAKFAST SCENE ON THE RIVER BANK. 



continued, " and but for the falls would furnish water communication to 
the very heart of Bolivia. It is the natural waterway of the country, and 
its upper affluents traverse the richest agricultural region of South 
America. They have been partially but not wholly explored, and the 
actual number of miles open to steamboats is not yet known. 

"There are nineteen falls and rapids, having a descent of nearly three 
hundred feet altogether. They are scattered along a distance of two 
hundred and thirty miles. Above and below there are no impediments 



2S6 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

to navigation, with a single exception in the shape of a rapid, which may 
be passed by a steamboat when the river is high. 

"The governments of Bolivia and Brazil have endeavored to over- 
come these falls by building a canal or a railway around them, and spent 
considerable money in the preliminary work. It was found that a canal 
would cost a great deal of money, far more than a railway, and so it was 
decided to build the latter." 

" Did they build it ?" 

" It has not been built as yet," was the reply, " though a portion of 
the work has been done. A company was formed in England, principally 
on paper, with important concessions from the governments interested. 
Engineers were sent out, together with a small force of laborers, but the 
project came to nothing. Then the enterprise was taken up by some 
Americans, who sent Colonel George E. Church, of New York, to com- 
plete the surveys and supervise the construction of the line. He reported 
favorably upon the prospects of business for the completed railway, which 
would be less than two hundred miles long. The line leaves the Madeira 
just below the first fall, and comes again to the Mamore above the last 
one. It avoids the windings of the stream, and thus saves a considerable 
distance. 

"Colonel Church sounded the Mamore for six hundred miles above 
the rapids, and found always a depth of at least fifteen feet, a width of 
six hundred feet, and an average current of two miles an hour. He vis- 
ited Santa Cruz, Trinidad, Exaltacion, and some other Bolivian towns and 
cities, and was everywhere cordially welcomed. I am sorry that our time 
and facilities will not permit us%> repeat his journey, as it is through a 
region rarely seen by travellers. Colonel Church was preceded by Mr. 
Keller, a German engineer; and the stories they tell are full of in- 
terest. 

" They describe Exaltacion as a dull, and, at first glance, a deserted 
town, standing a mile or more from the river. Many of its buildings are 
in ruins, and the walls of the houses are without paint or other ornament. 
The streets are wide, and the plaza is at least three hundred feet square ; 
the church, with an isolated bell-tower, occupies one side of the plaza, 
while the other three sides are lined with the dwellings of the Indians, 
rarely more than a single story in height. The church is a large and well- 
constructed building; it is more than a century old, and has received very 
few repairs since the day of its completion. 

" The Indians living in the towns of Bolivia are nearly all devout 
Catholics, and have been carefully trained in the observances of the Church. 



A MODERN MIRACLE. 



287 



It is said that when the first Jesuit missionary penetrated the Beni districts 
of Bolivia, from the frontier of the country, that had been partially civil- 
ized, he was immediately killed. Another followed soon after, and met 
the same fate, and then came another. 

"The Indians were astonished beyond description, as it appeared to 
them to be the same man they had twice put to death. He was identical 
in dress, appearance, and words, and evidently he was immortal. It would 
do no good to kill him a third time, and they held a consultation, and con- 




PLAZA AND CHURCH AT EXALTACION. 



eluded he was a god. Thus concluding, they worshipped him, listened to 
his teachings, and adopted his religion, to which they have ever since re- 
mained faithful. 

"In the church they had an organ which was played during mass by 
one of the Indians, while another performed on a sort of pan-pipe of 
enormous proportions. Several tubes were arranged side by side, and fast- 
ened together ; the largest was about six feet in length, and the opening 
at its end measured at least four inches. The performer kept his eye on 
the music before him, and blew into one pipe after another with great 



288 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




MOJOS INDIANS CELEBRATING MASS. 



facility. The instrument compassed two octaves, and the sound it gave 
resembled that of a trombone. 

" The church contains several relics, among them a piece of the True 
Cross, which was brought here by the Jesuits nearly two centuries ago. 
That the people have degenerated somewhat from their old-fashioned 
honesty is revealed by a little incident of Mr. Keller's visit to the 
church. 

" In the pedestals of two of the columns he saw some enormous nails, 
and asked their use. It was explained that in the time of the Padres all 
articles found in the streets were hung on these nails, so that anybody 
who lost anything would know where to find it. ' But to-day,', said the 
sacristan, ' these nails rust in their places, for no one thinks of returning 



A SINGULAR ORNAMENT. 



289 




A MOJOS INDIAN. 



what he finds.' Colonel Church thinks 
Exaltacion must be an exception to the 
rest of Bolivia, as he found everywhere 
the most scrupulous honesty on the part 
of the people among whom he travelled. 
The Mojos Indians who inhabit the val- 
ley of the Mamore are an inoffensive 
race, and have a high reputation for 
honesty and integrity. 

" Some of them wear a curious orna- 
ment, known as the cherimbita. It is a 
little rod with a head, and has a general 
resemblance to an ordinary screw. It 

is made of white quartz, or some other hard material, 
and is worn in the under lip, which is pierced for its 
admission, just as ladies in America, and other coun- 
tries, have their ears pierced for the wearing of orna- 
ments. 

"The other towns that were visited did not materially 
differ from the one already described. They had the 
same kind of population, the same dilapidated churches, 
and the same devout worshippers who adhered to the 
religion taught by the J. suit fathers two hundred years 
ago. There was said to be a great abundance of silver 
in all these Bolivian towns, but it is far less than for- 
merly. Everything imported from other parts of the 
world is enormously dear, while the products of the 
country are correspondingly cheap. At Exaltacion, 
English iron was worth four hundred dollars a ton, 
while gold at ten dollars an ounce was much easier to 
obtain." 

19 




THE CHERIMBITA. 



290 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HUNTING THE TAPIR.— AMONG THE CARIPUNA INDIANS.— ARRIVAL AT THE FALLS 
OF THE MADEIRA.— MAKING INDIA-RUBBER. 

ONE day was much like another in the descent of the river, as the 
party was not disturbed by hostile natives, and met with no acci- 
dents of consequence. Frank was disappointed in his hopes of hunting- 
adventures, as the jaguars and pumas persisted in keeping out of sight, 
and utterly deprived the young gentleman of an opportunity to try his 
weapons. 

Less powerful game abounded, however, since the tapir and the agouti 
were frequently encountered. The agouti is about the size of a rabbit, 
which it greatly resembles both in appearance and habits. When pur- 
sued it runs rapidly for a short distance and then tries to conceal itself; 
if it is captured it makes no resistance beyond a plaintive cry. 

The tapir deserves a more extended 
notice than the agouti, as he is much 
larger, and resists the attacks of his ene- 
mies with a good deal of vigor. Fred's 
account of a fight with a tapir will give 
an idea of the characteristics of this 
animal. 

" The tapir is very widely distrib- 
uted through tropical South America, and is probably more generally 
hunted than any other denizen of the country. His favorite haunts are 
narrow gorges and moist ravines, and the forests on the banks of all 
streams, whether large or small, though he prefers the latter. He is like 
an Englishman in desiring a cold bath in the morning, and the first tapir 
we saw was seated up to his neck in the water, at a bend of the river. We 
had told Manuel to call us when a tapir was discovered, and early one 
morning he roused us. 

" Frank threw on his garments very hastily, and seized his rifle for a 
shot at the beast. As he emerged from the tent our pilot whispered, 
'anta' (the native name for tapir), and pointed directly ahead of our 




THE AGOUTI. 



KILLING A TAPIR. 291 

course. The men had stopped rowing, and were silently urging the raft 
towards the shore, where it would be concealed from what we hoped to 
make game of, by an intervening bush. 

" The desired position was gained without disturbing the animal at his 
bath, and under cover of the bank we drew quite near. Only his head 
was visible; Frank aimed and fired, and the head disappeared. Soon it 
came to the surface, and there was a loud snort which showed that the 
beast had been thoroughly alarmed. 

" The rowers now did their best, as further concealment was unneces- 
sary. With loud cries they urged the raft forward, but the unwieldy 
concern could not be turned as quickly as the tapir was able to double on 
us. Fortunately for us, he only tried two or three times to double, or he 
would have escaped altogether; after these efforts he struck straight 
across the river, where we came up to him and were able to throw a har- 
poon into his back. He had been severely wounded by Frank, and after 
the harpoon was thrown he was easily secured. It is always desirable to 
harpoon a tapir after shooting him in the water, as he dives to the bot- 
tom, and if he dies there his body does not rise. 

" We had tapir steaks for breakfast, and found them very good. 
They resembled beef, though they were rather more dry than that well- 
known article of food ; we had been rather limited in our supply of fresh 
provisions, and consequently the tapir steak was not to be despised. The 
flesh of this animal is highly prized by the natives; it is eaten fresh, like 
beef or pork, and is preserved by drying or salting. 

" But this is not the fight I was going to tell about. One day we 
stopped at a village where there 'was a tame tapir running among the 
houses ; it was k perfectly docile, and allowed the boys to ride on its back 
as often and as long as they liked. The alcalde of the village told us how 
it was caught, a few months' before, in a hunting-excursion, only a few 
miles from the place. 

" The alcalde kept several dogs especially for hunting the tapir. The 
hunter takes his position in a canoe carefully concealed in the bushes near 
the end of a tapir's road. The tapir lays out his own path with the skill 
of an engineer; he goes along this path regularly every morning, from 
his haunt to his bath in the river, and then from the river to his haunt 
a^ain. The dogs are let loose near the tapir's retreat, and the frightened 
animal runs to the river for safety. 

"He dives and swims with great rapidity, but the hunter is generally 
successful in capturing him. He is shot or speared as he takes to the 
water, evading the dogs only to fall into the hands of his human enemy. 



292 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




HUNTING THE TAPIU. 



" On the occasion I speak of the alcalde had gone for his customary 
sport, and roused a tapir. The keeper of the dogs was with these animals, 
while the alcalde was waiting at the river ready to shoot the game when 
it appeared. But it happened to be a female anta, this time, and she had 
a young tapir with her. The male flees before the dogs, but the female 
with a cub does nothing of the sort ; she remains in her lair and defends 
the little fellow, who crouches beneath her and indicates his alarm by 
short, shrill whistles. She never yields, and is a terrible foe for the dogs. 
Her teeth do effective work on any of them that come too near, and her 
powerful fore-legs crush their ribs as though they were made of paper. 

" The alcalde waited, but the tapir did not come. At length one of 
his men appeared, and said that two of the six dogs had been killed by the 
tapir and another was severely hurt. They were young dogs, and had not 
shown proper caution ; the old and experienced ones had refrained from 
venturing within reach of jaws or feet, and confined their attentions to 
barking at a safe distance. 

" The alcalde hastened to the spot, and with his gun soon laid low the 
desperate animal. The young tapir was secured unhurt and brought 



SNAKES IN SOUTH AMERICA. 293 

home to the village. It was kindly treated, and in three days it followed 
its master around like a dog, and was perfectly domesticated. The animal 
lives on vegetable food (grass, fruit, and roots), and consequently he is 
easy to keep. This was the tame tapir that we saw ; he was perfectly 
amiable in disposition, but his great size rendered him unsuitable to be 
maintained as a house pet, and he had been turned into the street to make 
his own living. I was told that the tame tapir never shows any disposi- 
tion to return to his native wilds. In this respect he resembles the ele- 
phant, and I believe the naturalists class him in the elephant family. 

" The alcalde had a houseful of pets, including several birds and 
monkeys, and, strangest of all, a snake. It was perfectly free, and was 
kept for killing rats, mice, lizards, and other things that were more de- 
structive of the owner's property than is the snake. Manuel said it was 
a giboia, a species of boa constrictor; it is not poisonous, and when taken 
young is easily tamed. Frank was reminded of the rat -snake they 
had seen in Ceylon, and thought it must be the first cousin of the gi- 
boia." 

Snakes are less common in South America than is generally supposed, 
though they are numerous enough for all practical purposes. There are 
one hundred and fifty species in all, while a similar area in tropical 
Asia contains three hundred varieties. Most of them are non- poison- 
ous, but the proportion of venomous snakes is greater than in India or 
Ceylon. 

The largest member of the serpent family is the boa ; it has been 
found twenty-six feet long, though it rarely exceeds twenty feet. The 
largest of the boas can kill and swallow a small horse, while a goat or 
sheep forms only a comfortable mouthful. One of the most venomous 
is the coral, which haunts the cacao plantations, and has a fatal bite. 
Ammonia is used as an antidote to snake-bites, but the application must 
be made in a few minutes, before the poison is diffused in the blood. 
Doses of strong coffee, brandy, or some other stimulant will sometimes 
keep up the action of the heart and neutralize the effect of the poison un- 
til the victim is out of danger. 

The alcalde showed some of the venomous snakes that he kept as cu- 
riosities, but wisely restrained of their liberty. Among them was a rat- 
tlesnake, which appeared to be identical with the rattlesnake of North 
America ; a " parrot-snake " of a dull green color, which makes it difficult 
to discover among the grass and leaves, and a "surncucn," which does not 
belong to the valley of the Mamore, but inhabits the lower Amazon and 
the Rio Negro. The coral snake, already mentioned, was among them ; 



29i 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




WATER-SNAKES AT HOME. 



he was a pretty serpent (if serpents can be called pretty), of a vermilion 
hue striped with black bands. The youths stood at a respectful distance 
while surveying the collection, and did not care for a near acquaintance. 

Manuel said that serious accidents from the bites of snakes were far 
less frequent than might be supposed. Natives are the principal suffer- 
ers, partly for the reason that the number of Europeans is not large, and 
partly because they go constantly clothed, which is not the case with the 
natives. It is the same as in India and Ceylon, where thousands of na- 
tives die every year from snake-bites, while not half a dozen deaths of 
Europeans from this cause have occurred during the century. 

They passed from the Beni into the Madeira, and found the river in- 
creased to double its former volume. Frank and Fred looked anxiously 
up the Madeira, and wished they could explore the stream to its source; 
but as the wish could not be gratified, they quickly dismissed it from their 



HOSTILE NATIVES. 



295 



thoughts. Their pilot said they were in the country of the Caripuna In- 
dians, and it was quite possible that some of these aboriginals would pay 
them a visit at their next halting-place. 

" The Caripunas were formerly quite hostile to the white men," said 
Manuel, "and used to attack the boats that went up or down the river. 
With boats going down' stream they could not do much, as the pilots keep 
in the middle of the current and float along with it, but in ascending 
the river it is necessary to keep close to the bank, and this was the op- 
portunity for them to make trouble. They had a spite against the Mojos 
Indians, and the latter had great fear of the Caripunas, who had the 




RATTLESNAKE DISTURBED BY A WILDCAT. 



296 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



reputation of roasting and eating their victims, whether they did so or not. 
But since the surveys were made for the railway, and trade on the river 
has increased, they have made no trouble ; they have found that they can 
do better by being friendly to the white man, and begging what he has 



to give them." 




VISITING THE CARIPUNAS. 



"While they were halted for breakfast three canoes put out from a 
nook on the opposite shore ; two of them paddled across to where the raft 
was tied up, while the third went a little way up the stream and stopped 
near the bank, as if waiting to see what reception would be given to their 
friends. Each canoe contained two men and one woman, all wearing very 
little clothing, and having their hair thick and long, so as to cover the 



VISITING AN ABORIGINAL VILLAGE. 297 

shoulders. They had bows and arrows in their canoes, but did not offer 
to use them or even to pick them up, with the exception of one Indian, 
who took his weapons over his shoulder and stepped on shore. 

In spite of his scanty costume he was rather picturesque in appear- 
ance, as he had ornaments in his ears and a necklace of juguar's claws 
hanging on his breast. By signs, he invited the party to visit their camp 
on the other side of the river; the rowers were timid about venturing 
there, but the Doctor quieted their fears by intimating, though Manuel 
and the pilot, that the weapons of the part}'' were sufficient to defend them 
in case of trouble. 

The Caripunas were given to understand that the visit would be made 
as soon as breakfast was over; they seemed perfectly satisfied with this 
arrangement, and returned to their canoes, where they sat until the meal 
was finished. The return of the boatmen to their oars was the signal for 
the Caripunas, who paddled on ahead and indicated the best place for 
landing. 

The landing was made without difficulty, and the whole population of 
the village, some twenty or thirty men, women, and children, came out to 
meet the strangers. For fear of treachery, Dr. Bronson gave orders that 
none of the rowers should leave their places ; Manuel was to remain 
standing by the side of the boat, and the three Americans were not to go 
more than a few yards from the shore, where the huts of the Indians 
stood about ten feet above the water's level. 

An old man, who was evidently the chief of the tribe, came forward 
and led the way to an open shed between the two principal huts. It was 
evidently a place of public resort, and corresponded to the city hall or 
court-house of civilized lands. All the rest of the natives followed, and 
the conversation soon became as animated as it is possible to make it 
where neither party understands a word the other says. Frank observed 
that the skins of the natives were of a reddish-brown color, and the tallest 
of them did not exceed five feet eight inches in height. 

Beads, small mirrors, fish-hooks, and similar barbaric goods were dis- 
tributed in the shape of presents, and then our friends tried to make a 
bargain for whatever the Indians had to sell. Unfortunately they had 
only a few bows and arrows and some feathers from the birds of the 
forest; beyond these nothing was in the market; and as the natives were 
unwilling to part with their weapons, it required a good deal of persuasion 
and the display of the glittering baubles to secure their consent. With 
these trifles the strangers were compelled to be satisfied, and after a visit 
of an hour or more they returned to their boat and continued the voyage. 



298 



THE BOY -TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



A curious fact was ascertained by Mr. Keller in his visit to the Cari- 
purias, that they bury their dead in their houses, removing the earth of 
the floor for. that purpose. When a space beneath a hut is occupied with 
graves the place is abandoned, and a new dwelling is erected elsewhere. 
This is deserted in its turn, under the same conditions. 

The Caripunas are skilful hunters and fishermen ; they cultivate the 
soil occasionally, but not often, depending for their vegetable food upon 
the products of the forest. Some attempts have been made to civilize 
this people, but they have not succeeded, except in convincing them that 
it is better to be on friendly terms with their neighbors than in open 
hostility. 

When the travellers reached Guajara-Merim, the first of the falls of the 
Madeira, their contract with their boatmen terminated. The men were 
paid off, each one receiving a small present in addition to his wages, and 

the pilot a larger one, in proportion 
to his importance. There is a small 
village of Mojos Indians just above 
the falls, and their special occupation 
is to transport travellers and their 
property up or down the stream. 
Manuel opened negotiations, but they 
could not be rapidly pushed, as it is 
not the custom of this people to do 
anything in a hurry. 

It took an entire day to finish the 
transaction. A "garitea," a boat of 
about four tons' burden and having 
a crew of twelve men, w T as engaged 
for the voyage to San Antonio, at the foot of the lowest rapid. In ad- 
dition to the crew there was a thirteenth man as pilot or captain, one of 
the twelve being second in command. Some of the rapids may be passed 
without danger in descending the river, and without the necessity of 
unloading the cargo; at others the cargo must be taken out, and the 
empty boat navigated down the rapids; while at others both boat and 
cargo must be taken around over the land. The whole distance where 
the boats must be drawn overland is nearly three miles, while for more 
than two miles the cargoes must be taken out in order to save them from 
possible damage or loss. 

Frank and Fred had plenty of time for studying the falls of the 
Madeira and making a short excursion into the forest in the vicinity, as 




A CARIPUNA INDIAN. 



AMONG THE CARIPUNA INDIANS. 



299 



another day was required for getting ready to start after the bargain had 
been concluded for the hire of the boat and its crew. We will refer to 
Fred's note-book for an account of what they saw and learned. 

"There is a village of Caripnna Indians," wrote Fred, ; 'a little way 
inland from the falls, and we paid it a visit. Most of the men were away 
on a fishing excursion, and the few that remained did not have anything 




A WALK IN THE FOREST. 



we could buy. We made them some presents, but did not stay long, as 
we wanted to see a rubber-tree, and the manner of collecting the India- 
rubber of commerce. 

" We had a guide from the Mojos village at the falls ; he had been a 
collector of rubber, and spoke enough Spanish to enable us to understand 
his explanations. Since the surveys were made for the railway a good 



300 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA, 




BRANCH OF THE INDIA-RUBBER TREE. 



many Mojos Indians Lave settled here, and they do quite a business in 
collecting rubber and sending it down the river to market. 

"The rubber-trees are abundant on both sides of the river for a long 
distance in either direction. How far inland they may be found is not 
definitely known. The scientific name of the tree is 8lj>ho7iia elastica, 
or Sijphonia cachacha, but there are several other trees that produce the 
gum which is so largely used in American and European industry. An 
incision is made in the side of the tree, and a cup made of leaves and clay 
is so placed as to catch the juice which flows from the cut. In a few hours 
the cup is filled, and a man comes around with a large jar in which the 
juice is collected. 

" The liquid is about the consistency of milk, and contains from ten to 
twenty per cent, of gum. It is poured into shallow basins, very often 
into empty turtle-shells, and allowed to stand in the sun, by which a good 
deal of the liquid is evaporated. When it is about the thickness of ordi- 
nary cream it is poured into a turtle-shell, and an Indian sits down to 
convert the liquid into rubber. 

"He has a small fire made of palm nuts, and over the fire is an in- 
verted jar with a hole in the bottom, through which the smoke ascends. 
He dips a paddle into the cream, and then holds it over the hole in the 
jar until it is dried by the heat, which must always be gentle, through fear 
of spoiling the rubber. When the gum is hardened he dips the paddle 



HOW CRUDE RUBBER IS MADE. 301 

again, and again dries it; he repeats the process until the desired thickness 
is secured. 

"When the rubber is thick enough it is cut off and is ready for 
market. Instead of a paddle he sometimes uses a mould of clay ; former- 
ly they made moulds resembling the human foot, and thus fashioned the 
rubber shoes that were worn in America forty or fifty years ago. Fan- 
tastic figures were traced on the shoes with the end of a hot wire, and the 



INDIA-RUBBER MAKING ON THE MADEIRA. 



mould was generally soaked in water till it fell to pieces, and the clay 
could be washed out. The modern processes of working rubber have 
driven these shoes from the market, and very few of them are made at 
present. 

" A good day's work for one man is six pounds of rubber. Another 
way of hardening the gum is to place it in a kettle and suspend it over a 
small fire, taking care not to burn the material. When it is sufficiently 



302 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

reduced, and is still warm and plastic, it is shaped into balls or bricks, 
weighing several pounds each ; the buyers prefer to have it dried on the 
paddle, as the natives occasionally commit frauds by putting sand or 
lumps of clay inside the masses while shaping them. The deception can 
only be detected by cutting carefully through the mass, and dividing it 
into small pieces. Frank suggests that the natives have probably heard 
of some of the tricks attributed to Connecticut Yankees, but I think he 
must be mistaken. 

" The rubber of the Amazon valley is considered the best in the 
world, and the amount of the product is rapidly increasing. I am told 
it is not far from six thousand tons a year, and will be increased to ten 
thousand tons as soon as the means of transportation from Bolivia are 
made more practicable. This does not include the rubber sent from the 
northern part of the continent, from the country not drained by the 
Amazon. 

"We call this substance 'India-rubber,' because it was first brought 
from the Indies, but, properly speaking, the name does not belong to 
it at the present day. The greater part of the rubber of commerce is 
from South America, which produces more than all other countries to- 
gether." 

"And why is it called rubber?" Frank asked. 

"Because," replied Fred, "it was first used in England for rubbing 
out pencil-marks. It was imported into England for that purpose about 
the end of the last century, and was greatly esteemed by artists, who paid 
high prices for it; it was popularly called 'lead-eater," and in some parts 
of England it is yet known by that name. It was not until 1S20 that its 
use extended much beyond the erasure of pencil-marks ; its first impor- 
tant use was in the manufacture of water-proof clothing, and about the 
same time it was employed for the formation of flexible tubes, and for 
other purposes. 

" It is a curious fact that the uses of rubber which have been discov- 
ered in England and America in the present century were known in 
South America nearly three hundred years ago. In a book published in 
Madrid in 1615, Juan de Torquemada describes a tree in Mexico yielding 
a gum from which the natives make shoes and other things, and lie also 
says that the Spaniards used this gum for waxing their canvas cloaks to 
make them resist water. Herrara's account of the second voyage of 
Columbus mentions balls which the natives of Hayti use in their amuse- 
ments; he says they are made from the gum of a tree, and are lighter and 
bounce better than the wind-balls of Castile." 



PROCESS OF VULCANIZING RUBBER. 



303 



When the above notes were read over to the Doctor he suggested an 
addition, which was made at once. 

" By far the most extensive uses of this material at present are in its 
vulcanized form, as the pure India-rubber can only be employed to a 
limited extent. The process of vulcanizing was discovered by an Ameri- 
can, Charles Goodyear, in 1843, and consists in mixing rubber with sul- 
phur and heating it to a high degree. There are two kinds of vulcanized 
rubber, one hard and horny, and the other soft and elastic ; for the first 
the rubber is cut into small shreds, mixed with a third of its weight of 
sulphur, and heated for several hours, the final heat being not less than 
300° Fahrenheit. For the elastic rubber the proportion of sulphur and 
the degree of heat are much less. An endless variety of articles is made 
from the two kinds of vulcanized rubber." 

"While we are on this subject," said Frank, " I wonder if there is a 
cow-tree in this region. The cow-tree is a South American production, 
is it not ?" 

"Yes," answered the Doctor, " but it is not in this part of the con- 
tinent, or, at any rate, the most famous of the family does not grow in the 




LEAVES, FRUIT, AND FLOWERS OF THE COW-TREE. 



304 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




MILKING 



PROPERTIES OF THE COW-TREE. 305 

lowlands. There are several trees known by that name, but the Palo de 
Vaca is found principally in Venezuela and the northern part of the 
continent, generally at an elevation of three or four thousand feet." 

" Please tell us what it is like." 

"It is a tall, slender tree, with leaves resembling the laurel in shape, 
but ten or twelve inches long. It grows in rocky places where there is 
very little moisture, and during the dry season its leaves are withered and 
the branches appear dead. But as soon as the trunk is pierced it gives 
forth a rich, nourishing juice that resembles milk in appearance, taste, 
and. qualities, though it differs materially from the milk of animals. It 
contains a good deal of wax and fibrin, a little sugar and a salt of mag- 
nesia, the rest being water." 

" And does it make cream like the milk of a living cow?" 

"Yes; after standing a short time it becomes yellow and forms a sort 
of cream on the surface ; this cream will gradually thicken into a sem- 
blance of cheese before it begins to putrefy. And the tree further re- 
sembles the cow in having its best milking-time in the morning; it yields 
more juice at sunrise than at any other time, and before daylight the 
natives gather at the trees to fill their bowls with the milk. The negroes 
and Indians drink freely of this milk, bitt the white inhabitants generally 
care little for it." 

Frank fell to meditating upon the feasibility of introducing the cow- 
tree into his father's orchard, and having a supply of milk where it did 
not need to be driven up at night. His calculations were suddenly inter- 
rupted by the announcement that dinner was ready, and his practical 
nature, backed by a good appetite, put an immediate end to his enter- 
prise. 

20 



306 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

SLOW TRANSIT. — PASSING AROUND THE FALLS. — ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS. — THE 
MADEIRA TO THE AMAZON.— THE JANUARY RIVER.— THE AMAZON FOREST. 

r F v EIE garitea was placed on rollers, and dragged along the ground, over 
-*~ a road that was by no means smooth. It was hard work for the 
Indians, particularly as the day was warm, but they toiled steadily, and did 
not once pause till they had launched the boat into the river below Gua- 
jara-Merim. Then they returned for- the baggage, which was distributed 
among them, under the watchful eyes of Dr. Bronson and Frank. Fred 
and Manuel had preceded the baggage, and were ready to superintend its 
reception and stowage in the boat. 

In spite of the difficulties of this rude mode of transportation there is 
a considerable traffic between Bolivia and the lower Amazon, around the 
falls of the Madeira. Colonel Church says it amounts to more than a 
thousand tons a year, and many bulky and heavy articles are carried 
through safely. Pianos have even been sent from Brazil to the interior 
of Bolivia by this route, and, what is strangest of all, they have arrived in 
perfect order, and were ready for use after a little attention from the 
tuner. 

The same gentleman, in speaking of the Mojos Indians of the depart- 
ment of the Beni, says their imitative powers are wonderful. The law 
requires that all voters shall be able to write. On the day of election an 
Indian comes to the polls to vote for a president or a deputy to congress; 
without knowing a letter of the alphabet he copies in a clear and legible 
hand the name of the one for whom he votes. He will also copy an entire 
manuscript in any language, without knowing a word of it. 

When everything was ready the boat was pushed off, and the voyage 
continued to the next rapid, where the same process was repeated. As 
before stated, some of the rapids were passed without the necessity of 
unloading, while at others the cargo, and sometimes both cargo and boat,' 
required to be carried overland. Once the boat was run upon a rock and 
considerably injured, but happily none of the cargo was damaged, and 
neither passengers nor crew suffered harm. 



GREAT FALLS OF THE MADEIRA. 



307 




308 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




During one of their halts, while passing the falls, Frank and Fred 
amused themselves by copying some curious inscriptions on the rocks. 
These were more numerous at the falls known as the Ribeirao than at 
any other place, and were evidently the result of long and patient work. 

The inscriptions are nearly all in regular lines, and were made with 
great care. They are certainly not the work of the people now occupying 
this region, and their signification is unknown. They were made ages and 
ages ago, judging by the appearance of the stones, and it is supposed that 
the cutting was done with chisels of flint or quartz. The stones bearing 

the inscriptions are very hard and 
smooth, and not far from the edge 
of the river at the low stage of water. 
In the season of floods they are cov- 
ered, and the action of the water has 
worn away some of the lines so that 
they are barely visible. 

Near another fall there are some 
deep lines cut in one of the granite 
rocks ; they are nearly half an inch 
in depth, and cross each other at different angles. Whether they were 
made at the same time and by the same people as the others it is impos- 
sible to ascertain. 

On the eighth day the passage around Teotonio, the last of the falls, 
was safely accomplished, and the garitea floated in front of San Antonio. 
This is a small town, which was founded when the surveys of the railway 
were begun, and has had a somewhat checkered existence. The boatmen 
were paid off and discharged ; the baggage of the party was stored in a 
little house temporarily hired for its reception, and for the accommodation 
of the travellers. 




CUTTINGS ON STONES NEAR THE RAPIDS. 



RAILWAY-BUILDING IN BOLIVIA. 309 

San Antonio owes its existence to the railway enterprise. At one time 
several hundred men were gathered there, principally laborers from Spain 
and the West Indies, and it was expected that the work of opening the 
railway line would be vigorously prosecuted. But the men died off so 
rapidly as to seriously impede the undertaking ; those that survived be- 
came alarmed and deserted the spot, and down to the visit of our friends 
all attempts to make a permanent settlement at San Antonio had failed. 

There was but one white man in the place — a Brazilian, in charge of 
the property that belonged to the railway company. His haggard features 
and sallow complexion told that he was suffering from fever, and he 
promptly confirmed what had been said of the unhealthiness of the region. 

" The obstacle which has prevented the construction of the railway," 
said he, in answer to Dr. Bronson's question, " was one not easy to foresee. 
The engineers who visited the place, and made a preliminary examination 
of the route, did not remain long enough to suffer from the pestilential 
atmosphere, and consequently they did not know of it. But when the labor 
actually began the case was different , the men died off very fast, and it 
soon took all the time of those who could get about to care for the suffer- 
ers and bury the dead. 

" There are no engineering difficulties to prevent the construction of the 
line, as the country is only slightly undulating, and there are but few rivers 
to cross. But it appears that there are terrible fevers lurking wherever 
cataracts in tropical countries fall over granite rocks. There are hollows 
between the rocks that retain the waters when the rivers fall from their 
highest levels, and these waters become stagnant pools. Vegetation decays 
in these pools, and they give off miasmatic vapors under the heat of the 
tropical sun. Europeans die rapidly in consequence, and even the negroes 
and natives cannot long endure the poisonous atmosphere. 

"Mr. Davis, the English engineer who came here to superintend the 
work, endeavored to improve the place by blowing up the rocks at the pools, 
and where- this could not be done he set his men to pumping out the water 
in order to drain off the surplus and arrest the decay. He accomplished a 
good deal in this way, but fell a victim to the fevers, and died in spite of 
all the efforts of the doctor to save him. His grave is in the forest, just 
behind the village. 

" The loss of the chief disheartened his subordinates, and all who could 
leave made haste to do so. The Mojos Indians and the Caripunas do not 
appear to be affected by the climate, but they cannot be induced to work 
at railway building, preferring employment in transporting goods and 
boats around the falls." 



310 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 







The information thus obtained 
made the little party of strangers 
desirous of leaving San Antonio as 
soon as possible. The Indians took 
advantage of their desire by demand- 
ing a high price for carrying them 
down the river. A steamer was ex- 
pected to arrive in a few days, but 
they were unwilling to wait there, 
wisely preferring to spend the time 
in a less unhealthy locality. Dr. 
Bronson told Manuel to engage a 
boat at any price, on the condition 
that it would leave at once, and the 
negotiation was speedily made. 

Three hours after the conversa- 
tion with the Brazilian the boat with 
our friends and their baggage pushed 
off from shore, and floated on the 
current of the Madeira. The fever- 
stricken residents of San Antonio 
gazed sadly after them, and mourned the fortune that detained them in 
that deadly place. 

Night came an hour or two after their departure, but the boat did not 
stop, as it had been agreed that the rowers would not rest until reaching 
the mouth of the January River, about fifty miles below San Antonio. 
The January joins the Madeira from the east, and at the point of junc- 
tion there is a large house occupied by the Bolivian consul, who has charge 
of the Madeira district, extending from the mouth of that river to the 
falls. It was about nine in the forenoon when the boat reached this point 
and drew up to the bank. 

Dr. Bronson had no official letters from the Bolivian authorities, as he 
had not visited the capital of the country, or any of its important towns, 
but he was cordially received by the consul, and invited to remain until 
the return of the steamboat, which was expected to pass up the river the 
same day on its way to San Antonio. His family was away, and he Irid 
an abundance of room, and after repeated assurances of welcome the ■ in- 
vitation was accepted. 

The boatmen were retained for an excursion up the January, and the 
baggage of the party was carried to the rooms they were to occupy during 



BURIED IN THE TROPICAL FOREST. 



A CONSULAR RESIDENCE. 



311 



their stay. The rest of the day was spent in the society of the consul, 
who told them many things of interest concerning the Madeira and its 
tributaries. The steamboat passed in the afternoon, making a brief stop 
at the landing, and it was arranged that she should return to take them 
away in a week or ten days at farthest. 

The consul's house was a large two-story building, and the upper floor 
commanded fine views of the two rivers; his reception-room on this floor 
was open on three sides, but could be closed by curtains whenever required. 
A fine breeze blew during the afternoon, and both Frank and Fred 
declared they had not, in months, found such an agreeable lounging-place. 
All the sleeping-rooms were provided with mosquito-nettings; mosquitoes 
are abundant and persistent throughout the year, and every precaution 
must be taken against them. 

The next morning the party went up the Januarv" with their boat, and 
were absent three days. They visited a camp of rubber collectors, which 
was controlled by a Bolivian who had obtained a grant of land, with the 
exclusive right of gathering rubber thereon for a term of years. He had 
some forty or fifty men in his employ, all Indians from Bolivia. Frank 
learned something about the business which he had not ascertained in 
their previous visit to the rubber collectors, and we are permitted to copy 
it from his note-book. 




BANANA IN BLOSSOM. 



312 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" The whole rubber trade of the Amazon is run upon the credit sj'stem. 
The employer keeps his men constantly in. debt, and as long as they are 
owing him for goods he can claim their work. They are engaged for a 
term of years, but in consequence of their debts are practically never 
released from their contract. 

"Next, the employer is in debt to the small traders in the river towns, 
to whom he sells his rubber ; he pays very dear for his goods, and gets a 
low price for the products of his enterprise. Then the small trader is in 



^^',:'/i7 







RUBBER TREE AND PARASITES. 



debt to the wholesale dealer at Para, and the wholesalers are in debt to 
London and New York, where the rubber goes for a market. Heavy 
profits are made in every transaction, and the result of it is that the Indian 
who collects the gum and prepares the crude rubber works for very low 
wages, and is paid in goods at very high prices. The annual exportation 
from Para is said to be twenty million pounds of rubber, worth from six 
to eight million dollars. 

"Kubber trees begin to yield when they are fifteen years old, and it 
has been proposed to cultivate rubber by planting large areas with trees, 



NOVEL METHOD OF CATCHING TURTLES. 



313 




and conducting the business like that 
of a coffee or sugar plantation. But 
the necessity of waiting fifteen years 
before any return can be obtained 
for the outlay will naturally deter 
capitalists from making investments." 

While on the January our friends 
saw a new way of catching turtles. 
An Indian stood on the bow of his 
canoe, watching the water, with bow 
and arrow ready. 

Suddenly he aimed the arrow at 
the sky, drew it to the head, and fired. 
It rose to a great height, then made 
a graceful curve, and descended. It 
struck the water within twenty feet 
of the Indian, pierced the shell of a 
turtle, and the creature was secured 
in the manner already described. 
Manuel explained that this was the 
only way in which the shells of the 
large turtles could be pierced, the 

arrow obtaining great penetrative force through the momentum it acquires 
in descending. The Indians are so expert in this difficult mode of shoot- 
ing that they rarely miss their mark. 

The January is not an important river, and the only settlements along 
its banks are those of the rubber collectors. Some of them have made 
clearings, and established banana and mandioca groves, but none of these 
groves rise to the dignity of plantations. 

The return to the consul's house was safely made, and the rest of the 
time of waiting for the steamer was passed in writing up the story of 
the journey and preparing letters for home. They did not expect to 
make any delay in their journey down the Amazon, and if the boat kept 
to her schedule she would reach Para just in time for the outward mail 
for New York. 

The steamers leave Manaos, on the Amazon, for San Antonio on the 
27th of every month, and in the busy seasons of the year there is gener- 
ally an extra steamer about the middle of the month. Between Manaos 
and Para there is always a fortnightly and generally a weekly service 
each way, and from Manaos most of the tributaries of the Amazon have 



STATION OF A RUBBER COLLECTOR. 



314 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

a monthly service as far as they are navigable. Steam navigation on 
the Amazon had its beginning in 1852. but its growth has not been 
rapid, owing to the slow development of commerce. 

In 1867 Brazil declared the Amazon open to the ships of all nations, 
but practically the navigation of the river is under the Brazilian flag. 
Steamers of any nationality may ascend to Manaos, one thousand miles 
above Para; from that point Brazilian steamers run to the frontier of 
Peru, where they connect with Peruvian steamers navigating almost to 
the base of the great Andean chain. At present the entire service is 
performed by about fifty steamers, some of large size and others light 
enough for the fancy of the western captain who desired a craft that 
could run where a heavy dew had fallen. The smallest of the steamers 
is less than twenty tons' burden, while the largest exceeds a thousand tons. 

The following note by Colonel Church will give an idea of the ex- 
tent of the navigable waters of the Amazon : 

" South America contains seven millions of square miles. The Amazon 
River drains over one third of this vast area. Its basin is more than 
twice the size of the valley of the Mississippi. It would hold forty-nine 
countries the size of England. Only by floating on the majestic tide of 
the Amazon does one get an idea of its mass of waters. The Mississippi 
River, poured into it near its mouth, would not raise it six inches. In 
Bolivia, on the Beni branch of its Madeira affluent, two thousand miles 
from its outlet, it is one hundred and seventy feet deep! It presents 
still more astonishing soundings the same distance up the main stream. 
With its branches it offers not less than fifteen thousand miles of waters 
suitable for steamboat navigation. The Bolivian affluents of its main 
branch alone count three thousand miles of river navigation. One half 
of this is suitable for steamers drawing six feet of water, and the other 
half for craft drawing three feet." 

The great lack of the Amazon Valley is in population ; until it is peo- 
pled it will be impossible to develop commerce to any great extent. 
There are not fifty thousand inhabitants on the banks of the great river 
from a point one hundred miles above Para to the base of the Andes; 
Professor Orton says the Amazon Valley is the most thinlj^ peopled 
region on the surface of the globe, with the exception of the great deserts 
and the polar zones. Even including the savage Indians who dwell away 
from the rivers, the number of inhabitants is not great. . 

Raimondi, who is considered an excellent authority, gives the Peruvian 
province of Loreto, which stretches from Ecuador to Cuzco, and from the 
crest of the Andes to the Brazilian frontier, a population of less than 



POPULATION OF THE AMAZON VALLEY. 



315 



seventy thousand. He puts the wild Indians at forty thousand, and al- 
lows thirty thousand for all other races and kinds of men ! 

In their voyage down the river, Frank and Fred found that many of 
the towns marked on the map had no existence whatever, and some of 
the most pretentious could not boast half a dozen huts. Several toMms 
had each but a single dwelling, and one was only to be recognized by a 
post set in the bank to uphold a sign-board bearing the name of the 
place. Dr. Bronson said he was reminded of the days of land specula- 
tions in the West, when elaborate maps were printed of so-called "cities," 
which never had any existence beyond the paper one of the speculative 
founders. 




^^5x 



A KIVKR TOWN. 



Back from the river the population is as scattered and scanty as upon 
its banks; there is room for millions of people in the valley of the 
Amazon, and but for the great density of the forests, the fevers and other 
diseases, and the pestiferous insects that till the air from beginning to 
end of the year, the country would doubtless attract emigration from the 
overcrowded cities and rural districts of Europe. Brazil has made re- 
peated efforts to attract emigration, but thus far they have amounted to 
very little; a few thousand Germans and others have gone there, but 
their experience has not been such as to encourage the coming of others. 



316 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

It will doubtless be a long time before the Amazon Valley can honestly 
claim half a dozen inhabitants to the square, mile. 

In due time the steamer returned from San Antonio, and our friends 
continued their journey. 

They were the only passengers, and had things their own way. The 
steamer had a large upper saloon, open on all sides, but capable of being 
closed in by curtains in bad weather. There was a long table in the cen- 
tre at which meals were served, and at each corner of the saloon stood an 
earthen jar filled with drinking water which had been carefully filtered. 
The water of the Amazon and its tributaries contains many vegetable 
impurities; it should not be drank without filtering, and the prudent 
traveller will also have it boiled. 

Between the table and the sides of the saloon there were hooks for 
suspending hammocks; Manuel explained that they could hang their 
hammocks in any unoccupied places, sleeping there by night and reclin- 
ing during the day. They could have private cabins on the main-deck if 
they preferred, but the private rooms were less airy, and not to be desired. 
By a party just from the trip over the Andes and down the Beni such a 
proposal was naturally laughed at ; the youths and their mentor swung 
their hammocks where they liked, and enjoyed the beautiful panorama 
that was unfolded to their eyes as the steamer moved on her course. 

Frank declared it the perfection of travelling comfort to lie in a ham- 
mock and study the scenery with hardly the motion of a muscle; it sur- 
passed the indolence of a chair on the deck of a transatlantic steamship, 
or the fauteuil of a Pullman car from New York to San Francisco. But 
it is proper to add that neither of the young gentlemen adhered closely 
to his hammock during the daytime, in spite of any theories in that di- 
rection. They were here, there, and everywhere on the steamboat; now 
studying the magnificent forest that passed before their eyes, or gazing 
into the dark waters through which they ploughed their way. Turtles and 
great fishes were their delight, and of the former at least there was no 
lack. When a sand-bar was approached they eager]}' scanned it with 
their glasses in search of alligators, and as these products of the river were 
abundant and sand-bars were numerous, they had plenty of amusement in 
this line. 

The ordinary life on the steamboat, so far as meals were concerned, 
was as follows : coffee was served as soon as the passengers were out of 
their hammocks, and if they were specially inclined to laziness they had 
it before they rose. Breakfast was served at ten o'clock, dinner at five, 
and tea at eight. At breakfast and dinner there was a plentiful supply 



DAILY LIFE ON THE STEAMER. 



317 



of meat, sometimes half a dozen courses being served of meats alone. 
Live turtles and fowls were kept on board for the wants of the table; on 
the large steamers on the lower Amazon there are always a few bullocks 
carried along and slaughtered when wanted, in addition to chickens and 
turtles. Rice and farina are abundantly supplied at every meal, and the 
cook (a Chinaman) brought back recollections of Java and India in his 
skill in making curries and pilaufs. The captain of a steamer on the 
Amazon has an allowance for feeding the passengers and crew ; some- 
times he delegates the purchases to the cook, but quite as offen he takes 
the matter into his own hands and does his buying in person. By so 
doing he avoids extravagance, and escapes the inevitable "squeezes" of 
the cook. 




PIKA-RUCU, A FISH OF THE AMAZON. 

The captains are usually paid a salary, and commissions on the freight 
and passengers; in. a prosperous season the commissions will amount to 
more than the salary, and if the captain has an inclination to dishonesty 
Ins opportunities are excellent. Most of the steamboats receive a subsidy 
from the government, which guarantees them against loss, and altogether 
their business shows a very good profit. 

With stoppages at the various landings where real or imaginary vil- 
lages existed, the voyage from the mouth of the January River to the 
junction of the Madeira and the Amazon occupied four days. It was 
enlivened by several incidents of an amusing character, and one or two 
that threatened to be serious. 

Once the boat ran hard aground on a sand-bar, and for some time it 
was feared that the whole cargo would need to be removed to lighten the 



318 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



craft sufficiently to get her off. Rut by pulling hard upon ropes fastened 
to anchors placed in the rear of the boat, and a vigorous backing of the 
engines at the same time, they managed to get afloat. One morning, 
while crawling along through a fog, they crashed into the bank, but hap- 
pily with no great force ; some of the lighter work of the boat was broken, 
but the hull remained uninjured. 

When near the Amazon the boat struck hard against something that 
was supposed to be a log. The engines were stopped, and an examination 
showed that instead of a log it was a huge turtle, that had evidently been 
taking a nap on the surface, and was unconscious of the steamer's ap- 
proach. 

One afternoon, as they were turning a point under the overhanging 
branches of an immense tree, the upper works of the boat brushed against 
a wasps' nest ; the disturbed insects came on board without invitation, 
and for some minutes they made things very lively. Frank was stung on 




]ii:rosrrs in the Amazon valley. 



the nose, and that ornament of his face began to swell almost immediate- 
ly ; it was assuming gigantic proportions when the Doctor made an appli- 
cation of ammonia that soon neutralized the effect of the poison, though 
not until the youth had suffered considerable pain. 

Manuel explained that the particular kind of wasp which had caused 
the trouble was known as the " Yessi Marabnnta," a large black wasp 
with a powerful sting. His nest in the limbs of a tree resembles a Dutch 
cheese, and it is generally inhabited by a large family. There are several 
varieties of wasp on the Amazon ; all of them are troublesome, and some 
are actually dangerous to life. Away from the rivers they are numerous 
in the neighborhood of springs, and cause great annoyance to cattle going 
to drink; in the towns and villages they take possession of the upper 
part of the houses, building their nests under the eaves and beneath the 
roof. Woe betide the individual who disturbs them in their occupations, 
unless he is protected by coverings their lances cannot penetrate. 



AN UNWELCOME VISITOR. 



319 




WASP-NEST. SHOWING INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION. 



While they were passing under another tree a snake dropped on board, 
close to where the captain was standing on the upper deck, engaged in 
giving directions to the man at the wheel. It was a member of the boa 
family, about six feet in length; though he was classed as "harmless," 
there was a manifest desire of the captain to get out of the reptile's way, 
and both Frank and Fred, who were in the vicinity, showed similar incli- 
nations. The intruder was equally frightened, and wriggled towards the 
edge of the deck, whence a push with a pole sent him spinning overboard. 

The beauty of the forest that bordered the river was a never-ending 
source of attraction to our friends. Giant trees and trees of lower stature 
covered the banks, and extended back from the shore as far as the eye 
could reach. Their trunks were almost concealed by the profusion of 
climbing plants, and their foliage was intermingled with bright orchids, 
some of immense size, and with colors rivalling those of the rainbow. The 
variety of the trees and plants was bewildering, and as our friends gazed 
hour by hour upon the ever-changing panorama, with its ever-sameness, 



320 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



they realized that it would be a labor of years for a botanist, to number 
and classify the vegetable growths comprised in the limits of a single 
day's travel. 




LEAVES, NUT, AND FLOWERS OF SAPUCAYA, AN AMAZON TKEE. 

Fred copied into his note-book the following, from Professor Orton's 
narrative : 

" No spot on the globe contains so much vegetable matter as the valley 
of the Amazon. In it we may draw a circle a thousand miles in diameter, 
which will include an evergreen forest broken only by the rivers and a few 
grassy campos. There is a most bewildering diversity of grand and beau- 
tiful trees — a wild, unconquered race of vegetable giants — draped, fes- 
tooned, corded, matted, and ribboned with creeping and climbing plants, 
woody and succulent, in endless variety. 

" The flowers are on the top. On many of the trees not a single blos- 
som is to be found at a height less than one hundred feet. The glory of 
the forest can be seen only by sailing in a balloon over the undulating 
flowery surface above. There, too, in that green cloud, are the insects and 
birds and monkeys. You are in ' the empty nave of the cathedral, and 
the service is being celebrated aloft in the blazing roof.' In place of 



TROPICAL VEGETATIOX. 



321 




FERNS, TREES, AND CREEPERS 



mosses and lichens, 
the trunks and 
boughs are bearded 
with orchids, ferns, 
tillandsias, and cac- 
tuses, frequently 
forming hanging gardens of great beauty. The branches are so thoroughly 
interwoven, and so densely veiled with twiners and epiphytes, that one 
sees little more than a green wall. He might roam a hundred years in 
the Amazon thicket, and at the end find it impossible to classify the 
myriad crowded, competing shapes of vegetation. The exuberance of 
nature, displayed in these million square miles of tangled, impenetrable 
forest, offers a bar to civilization nearly as great as its sterility in the 
African deserts." 

21 



322 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FROM THE MADEIRA TO THE RIO NEGRO.— OTHER TRIBUTARIES OF THE AMAZON. 
—NOTES ON THE GREAT RIVER.— MANAOS.— DOWN THE AMAZON TO PARA. 

ENTERING the Amazon from the Madeira, the steamer turned her 
prow to the westward and ascended the great river for sixty miles, 
to the mouth of the Rio Negro. The yellow waters of the Amazon and 
Madeira had reminded Frank and Fred of the Mississippi ; there was 
some dispute between them as to which of the two streams was dirtier in 
color, but they finally agreed that the Madeira was the worse of the two. 

"We will compare the Madeira to the Missouri," said Fred, "and the 
united stream to the Mississippi as we see it below the mouth of the 
Ohio." Frank agreed to this distinction, and there the discussion ended. 

The Amazon brings down a vast amount of alluvial matter which it 
receives from its tributaries, in addition to what it breaks away from the 
banks on its own account below the mouth of the Madeira. The sedi- 
ment is carried far into the sea, and there is no proper delta at its mouth, 
as with the other great rivers of the world. 

Frank made some notes concerning the great river, which we will now 
introduce. 

" The Amazon," said he, " is undoubtedly the largest river on the 
globe, but it is not the longest. Lieutenant Herndon estimates its length, 
considering the Huallaga as the head-stream, at three thousand nine hun- 
dred and forty -four miles; another authority makes it three thousand 
miles; another two thousand seven hundred and fifty, and other travellers 
give various figures up to three thousand six hundred miles. The differ- 
ences arise from disputes as to which of the tributaries should be called 
the head-stream. 

" The Amazon is rather a vast system of rivers than a river b} 7 itself. 
More than three hundred and fifty branches and tributaries unite to form 
the Amazon ; all the rivers flowing from the eastern slope of the Andes 
from three degrees north latitude to nineteen degrees south latitude, a dis- 
tance of two thousand miles, as we follow the windings of the mountain 
chain, pour into the Amazon and contribute to its immense volume. It 



THE LARGEST RIVER IN THE WORLD. 



323 



is three hundred and twelve feet deep at its month, and where it crosses 
the Brazilian frontier at Tabatinga it is sixty - six feet deep ! The Great 
Eastern steamship might navigate it for more than a thousand miles from 
the sea. 







NATIVES ON THE MIDDLE AMAZON. 



" Half a million cubic feet of water flow out of the Amazon every 
second, or thirty million cubic feet in a minute. The ordinary current is 
three miles an hour. Two thousand three hundred miles from the sea it is 
three fourths of a mile wide, at the mouth of the Madeira it is three miles 
wide, and below Santarem it is ten miles from side to side. Its month is 
said to be one hundred and eighty miles wide, but this is hardly a fair 
statement of the case, as the island of Ma raj o occupies a large portion of 
the mouth, and the river reaches the ocean through many channels. 

" The tide is perceptible five hundred miles from the sea; it does not 
carry the salt water up with it, but there is simply a rise and fall of the 
fresh water. So great is the volume of the Amazon where it enters the 
sea that ships can dip up fresh water while yet out of sight of land." 

"In speaking of the tide," said the Doctor, "don't forget to mention 
the piroroco or ' bore ' of the Amazon." 

"I was just coming to it," replied the youth, "and cannot do better 



324 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

than quote a description by La Condamine, written more than a hundred 
years ago. Here it is : 

" ' During three days before the new and full moons, the period of the 
highest tides, the sea, instead of occupying six hours to reach its flood, 
swells to its highest limits in one or two minutes. The noise of this terri- 
ble flood is heard five or six miles, and increases as it approaches. Pres- 
ently you see a liquid promontory, twelve or fifteen feet high, followed 
by another and another, and sometimes by a fourth. These watery 
mountains spread across the whole channel, and advance with a prodigious 
rapidity, rending and crushing everything in their way. Immense trees 
are instantly uprooted by it, and sometimes whole tracts of land are swept 
away.' " 

" It must be a terrible thing for boats to encounter, especially the 
small ones," Fred remarked, as Frank concluded the above description. 

"It is," Dr. Bronson answered, "and many of them are lost every 
year. But those engaged in navigating the river know when to expect 
the bore, and take precautions against it. They have esperas, or resting- 
places, where they are sheltered from its force, and wait until it has 
passed. 

" The bore is not confined to the Amazon," continued the Doctor ; 
"it is known in other rivers, especially in the Hoogly, below Calcutta, but 
the bore of the Amazon is undoubtedly the largest." 

"Another curious feature of the Amazon," said Frank, resuming, "is 
the great number of lateral channels, which are technically called igaripes, 
or canoe-paths. Boats may go for hundreds of miles along the lower 
Amazon in the igaripes without once entering the main stream. They 
remind us of the bayous of the lower part of the Mississippi Valley." 

" Don't forget," said Fred, " that the Amazon rises within sixty miles 
of the Pacific Ocean, and touches every country of South America except 
Chili and Patagonia. The Madeira rises close to the sources of the La 
Plata, while the Negro, the great northern tributary of the Amazon, is 
connected with the Orinoco by a navigable canal called the Cassiquari. 
The navigation of this network of waters is favored by nature ; the cur- 
rent is eastward, while the trade wind blows west from the Atlantic, so 
that ships going either way have the stream or the wind to help them 
along." 

" And another thing," said the Doctor, " that should be mentioned, is 
the annual rise and fall. There is a succession of freshets in the tribu- 
taries of the Amazon, so that the main stream can never run low. Most 
of its affluents are in the southern hemisphere, and consequently the river 



THE FLOODS OF THE GREAT RIVER. 



325 








IN AN IGARIPll 

has its greatest flood when the sun is south of the equator. The rise is 
gradual, beginning in September or October, and increasing not more 
than one foot daily, and often less than that. The difference between the 
highest and lowest levels is about forty-five feet, and at the time of the 
flood vast areas of land are covered with water. Once in every six years 
the flood is greater than usual." 

" The Amazon is too large to be content with one name," said Frank. 
" From its mouth to the junction with the Negro it is called the Amazon, 
or the Amazons; from the Negro to the Peruvian frontier it is the Soli- 
moens; and the part in Peru is the Maranon. But these distinctions are 
passing away since the river was opened to universal navigation ; the 
Solimoens is now generally called the Middle Amazon and the Maranon 
the Upper Amazon. Probably another twenty years will see the old 
names disappear altogether." 

Manaos is on the Rio Negro, ten miles above the junction of the latter 
stream with the Amazon. Frank and Fred observed with interest the 
change from one river to the other, which was as marked as that from the 
Mississippi to the Missouri, near Alton, Illinois. The Amazon is yellow, 
while the Negro, as its name indicates, is black. For miles the line be- 
tween the two waters is sharply defined ; they hold apart from each other, 
as if unwilling to mingle, but the greater river at length absorbs the 
smaller, and henceforth, to the sea, the yellow color is retained. 

The youths dipped some water from the two rivers and placed it in 




326 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

glasses side by side. That of the Amazon was like milk, as sometimes 
seen in boarding-houses or cheap restaurants,. while the water of the Ne- 
gro was clear, with a tinge of red. The difference in the banks of the 
rivers was as marked as that of their waters, those of the Amazon being 
low and broken, as on the Mississippi. The banks of the Negro gave no 
indication of alluvial washings, but presented many sandy beaches, backed 
by low hills covered with dark forests, in which few palms or similar 
trees were visible. 

The steamer anchored in front of Manaos, 
and the little party went on shore. They found 
a town resembling some of the river-landings 
in Arkansas or Missouri, with the addition of 
tropical surroundings. It straggled along the 
shore and back over the undulating hills for a 
considerable distance, and at first glance re- 
sembled a city of no small importance. It had 
about four thousand inhabitants, but there is 
room for many times that number when all the 
" lots " are occupied with well-filled dwellings. FRUIT PE dlers. 

On an elevation in the centre is the cathedral, 

which was unfinished at the time of Dr. Bronson's visit, and has been a 
work of very slow growth since its foundation. 

Facing the river is a large open square with a few palm-trees on its 
borders, and near the water there are several buildings variously occupied 
as custom-house, hotel, and steamboat offices. A long avenue known as 
Brazil Street runs through the town, with its ends on two igaripes, or 
canals ; these canals run back from the river, so that Manaos is surrounded 
on three sides by water. The houses are by no means crowded, as in most 
European cities, but each has a comfortable area of ground around it, 
affording good ventilation and plenty of moving space. 

Manaos is destined to be the St. Louis of the Amazon Yalley, as it is 
the diverging and converging point for a great deal of commerce. Freight 
up or down the Amazon and its tributaries is generally transshipped here, 
and at some seasons of the year the river front is a scene of much activity. 
The population is a mixed one, and includes negroes, Indians, Brazilians, 
Portuguese, Italians, and half a dozen nationalities of Europe, together 
with a few Chinese and East Indians, and occasionally Englishmen and 
North Americans. As the commerce of the Amazon Valley develops, 
Manaos will grow in population and wealth, and the day may not be far 



A CITY ON THE AMAZON. 



327 




328 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



distant when ocean steamers will receive their cargoes at its docks instead 
of at Para. 

Frank and Fred wished to make some purchases, and sallied out for 
that purpose. They returned with the declaration that Manaos was like 
home in one respect, according to the old song, as it was " The dearest 
spot on earth." Hardly anything the} 7 saw was the product of the country ; 
everything was imported, and the importers held their goods at high prices. 
An American whom they met said there was little agriculture in the sur- 
rounding region ; beef came up the Madeira ; sheep, and other meat- 
supplying animals were imported, and so were hams and all other 
preserved edibles ; while manufactured articles were from New York, 
Liverpool, or other Atlantic ports. 




GIANT FIG-TREE. 



Fred asked what were the industries of Manaos, and was told there were 
none at all. 

"Brazilians and Indians will not work," said his informant. "The 
immigrants from Europe live by trading. Since their emancipation, the 
negroes prefer fishing to any other mode of existence, and the Americans 
that came here as colonists have mostly gone back disappointed. There is 
really no laboring class here, and until there is we can have no agriculture. 
The land would produce abundantly, but there is nobody to cultivate it. 
I doubt if there are five hundred acres of tilled land on the Amazon, 
between this point and the foot of the Andes." 

The exports of Manaos are rubber, coffee, sarsaparilla, Brazil nuts, pis- 
saba, chinchona, fish, and turtles. The imports are cotton cloth, beads, 
and other " Indian goods " for the natives, and various articles of necessity 



A CASCADE NEAR MANAOS. 



329 



or luxury for the European inhabitants. The surrounding country is 
diversified with valleys, hills, and ravines, and not far from the place is a 
pretty cascade ten feet high and fifty feet wide, falling over a precipice of 




red sandstone. The sheet of water resembles Minnehaha in its general 
outline, but its peculiarity is in its deep orange color, obtained from the 
soil through which the streams flows. 



330 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

The youths wished to ascend the Rio Negro, but circumstances did not 
permit the excursion. The Negro rises in Colombia, and is twelve hun- 
dred miles in length ; at one place it is ten or twelve miles in width, and 
at Manaos not less than two miles. During the flood of the Amazon the 
dark waters of the Negro are dammed and held back, for hundreds of 
miles, by the rise of the giant stream. The natural canal, the Cassiquari, 
which connects the Negro with the Orinoco, is half a mile wide, and drains 
off the superfluous waters which go to swell the lower part of the last- 
named river. 

Other great tributaries of the Amazon are the Hnallaga and the TJca- 
vali ; both rise on the Peruvian Andes, the latter near ancient Cuzco. 
Either can be compared to the Ohio, and both are navigable for long dis- 
tances. Like the other streams that flow into the Amazon, they run through 
regions with few inhabitants, and consequently there is little commerce 
along their banks. There are many rivers as large as the Hudson or the 
Connecticut, that are unknown to- geographers, and not named on the 
maps. 

Glad enough were our friends to leave Manaos, after a day's detention, 
and descend the Amazon. The heat was severe, the thermometer mount- 
ing to ninety-two degrees Fahrenheit, with a damp atmosphere, which 
made the temperature very oppressive. Manaos has the reputation of 
being the warmest spot on the Amazon ; the mercury mounts very often 
to the nineties, and can touch ninety-eight without apparent effort. There 
are few amusements, and the most comfortable occupation is to do nothing. 
The European residents indulge in balls and parties, but more as a matter 
of form than for the sake of enjoyment. 

Aided by the current, the steamer made the sixty miles between Manaos 
and the mouth of the Madeira in a trifle over four hours. The boat 
resembled the one on which they had descended the Madeira, but was 
more than twice as large; the arrangement of the cabins and decks was 
the same, and each traveller hung his hammock between the decks, and 
took advantage of the cooling trade wind that blew up the river. 

Frank's inquiring mind led him among the boxes, bales, and bags 
which comprised the freight of the steamer; he was accompanied by 
Manuel, who answered the youth's questions to the best of his ability. 
"Where he did not know the correct answer he followed the custom of the 
country in giving the first that his imagination suggested. 

Frank's first question related to pissaba. 

" Pissaba comes from the Pissaba palm," said the guide, " and is a fibre 
which is manufactured into cables and ropee, and is exported to Europe 



HOW BRAZIL NUTS ARE GATHERED. 



331 



and America to be made into brushes and brooms. It is stronger than 
hemp, and more elastic, and if the people were enterprising it could drive 
hemp out of the market for many uses." 

" Please tell me about Brazil nuts," was the next su Question. 

"Brazil nuts grow on one of the tallest trees of the forest,'' was the 
reply. " There are eighteen or twenty nuts in a hard shell like a cannon 




A BRAZILIAN LANDING-PLACE. 



ball, and they are packed in so wonderfully that when once taken out no 
man is ingenious enough to put them all back again. I have seen Brazil- 
nut trees two hundred feet high, and fourteen feet through at the base, 
and not a branch within a hundred feet of the ground." 

Frank asked how the nuts were gathered. 

" They are allowed to ripen and fall to the ground," answered the 



332 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

guide, " partly because they will not keep if picked from the tree, and 
partly because it is difficult and dangerous to climb for them." 

"It must be equally dangerous to stand under the tree, and risk being 
hit by one of the falling nuts." 

" It is," was the reply. " The large shells or cases are five inches in 
diameter, and weigh two or three pounds ; in their descent they attain a 
momentum resembling that of a cannon-ball, and often bury themselves 
out of sight in the ground. A nut falling on a man's head will certainly 
break the shell, and this has happened in many instances. 

" The nut-gatherers build their huts among the trees, or more often 
a little distance from them ; if under the trees, they give the roof a 
sharp incline, so that nuts falling upon it will slide off and do no 
harm. The wind blows in the morning, and at that time the gatherers 
stay at home, employing their time in breaking open the shells of the 
previous day's collection, and getting the nuts ready for packing in sacks. 
When the wind ceases they go out and collect what have been shaken off 
by the breeze. 

" It is a hard life," continued the guide, " and many of the people die 
in consequence of the fatigue and exposure. They must tramp through 
the forest, and bring in heavy loads of nuts ; they have scanty food ; and 
the swamps and forests are full of malaria. They suffer from fevers and 
rheumatism, and are without medicines ; they receive very low wages, and 
are constantly in debt to their employers; they lose their way, and starve 
to death ; and sometimes their canoes laden with nuts are overturned, and 
the occupants drowned. But all these dangers combined are less than the 
peril from the falling nuts, and not a year passes without the death of 
nut-gatherers from this cause. 

" The trade is conducted on the credit system, very much like that of 
the rubber -collecting industry. The annual shipment of Brazil nuts 
from Para is about eleven million pounds ; and the nut trade is the third 
in importance among foreign exports, rubber and cacao being the first and 
second." 

" Who eats the nuts ?" was the. next interrogatory. 

" I don't exactly know," answered Manuel, " but am told that more 
than half of the nuts sent from Brazil are eaten by schoolboys in England, 
France, and the United States." 

"Yes, I remember now," said Frank, "but had forgotten for the mo- 
ment the hard, black, triangular nuts we used to buy in our school-days. 
They are favorites with boys, but the taste for them seems to disappear as 
we grow older. Now, please tell me about cacao." 



THE MANUFACTURE OF CHOCOLATE. 333 

" Cacao is cultivated in Brazil and other lowland countries of South 
America," replied Manuel, "but I can't tell you much about it. You 
must ask Dr. Bronson." 

At this moment the Doctor happened along, and Frank repeated his 
question. 

" Cacao is the substance from which chocolate is made," he explained, 
"and it is the same as the French ' chocolaf or ' coco.'' It is cultivated in 
tropical countries, twenty-five degrees each way from the equator, and 
sometimes the forests of cacao are miles and miles in extent. It 2:1*0 ws to 
a height of twenty-five or thirty feet, and resembles a black-heart cherry- 
tree in size and shape. It is an evergreen, and has a smooth, oblong leaf, 
terminating in a sharp point. The fruit resembles a short, thick cucumber ; 
it is from five to nine inches long, and contains from twenty to forty, or 
even fifty, beans which resemble the pit of an almond. From these beans 
the chocolate of commerce is made." 

"Do they make it here or export the bean to other countries?" Frank 
inquired. 

" The beans are separated from the pulp that surrounds them, and when 
dried are ready for market. Sometimes they undergo a fermentation to 
remove certain acrid qualities, but, except for local use, no attempt is made 
to manufacture the chocolate here. The manufacturing is done in Eng- 
land, France, and other countries, by means of delicate but powerful 
machinery. The shells of the seeds are of a dark-brown color, quite thin 
and brittle ; they are the cocoa-shells which are sold in American grocery- 
stores to be used in making 'cocoa' for our tables. 

" A rich oil is made from the seeds, but its manufacture is less profit- 
able than the sale of the seeds for making chocolate or cocoa. The trees 
begin to bear when four years old, and the harvest season is in July and 
August ; the industry is said to be profitable when properly managed, as 
the expense of maintaining a plantation is not great, and the harvest season 
occurs when other industries are at a standstill. The pulp that surrounds 
the seeds is made into a refreshing drink for immediate use, and some of 
the planters make from it a jelly which is said to equal the famous guava 
jelly. The outer shell is burned, and its ashes are the basis of a strong 
brown soap, like the home-made soap of New England." 

Fred interrupted the conversation by calling attention to an ant-eater, 
the property of one of the passengers, which was secured in a cage con- 
taining an upright branch of a tree for its accommodation. Manuel said 
the beast made his home in the trees, and lived on the tree-ants, which 
were numerous in Brazil. He sleeps by day, and roams at night, and 



334 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



when he sleeps he gives his whole mind to it. He has strong claws 
.and a prehensile tail; by the use of these, and by placing his head in 
the fork of a limb, he can slumber without any fear of falling out of 
bed. 

The fellow was taking his afternoon nap, and the youths did not dis- 
turb him. Fred make a sketch of the ant-eater in repose, and pronounced 
him a model drawing-model, as he did not move a muscle during the time 
required for taking his portrait. 




THE ANT-EATEU ASLEEP. 



The first stopping-place of the steamer was at Serpa, thirty miles be- 
low the mouth of the Madeira; it was a town of about one hundred 
houses, with as mixed a population as that of Manaos, though not as 
numerous. The proportion of negroes seemed larger than at Manaos, and 
Manuel said they would find this the case in each of the river towns as 
they approached Para. They took on board a considerable quantity of 
rubber, and then steamed onward. 



SCENERY OF THE LOWER AMAZON. 



335 




THE MOUTHS OF THE AMAZON. 



One hundred and fifty miles farther on they stopped at Villa Nova, 
the twin brother of Serpa in size and general appearance. Here the 
Amazon began to contract its banks, and the current increased in strength 
until, at Obidos, one hundred miles beyond Villa Nova, they found it 
narrowed to about a mile in width. The river is here two hundred and 
fifty feet deep, and its velocity, according to Professor Orton, is 2 . 4 
feet per second. All the water of the Amazon does not go through 
this passage, as there are lateral channels which carry off a consider- 
able quantity. Obidos is on a high bank of hard clay, and presents 
a bold front to the river. There are many cacao plantations in the vi- 
cinity ; from Villa Nova to Para these plantations are numerous, and the 
industry is more important than anything else. 

The river widened again as they moved on to Santarem, which is fifty 
miles below Obidos, and occupies a healthy position at the mouth of the 
Rio Tapajos, five hundred miles from the ocean. This river sends to 
market rubber, sarsaparilla, Brazil nuts, farina, and copaiba, and there are 
several cattle estates along its banks. Colonists from the southern states 
of North America settled here after our civil war; some of them es- 
tablished a prosperous business, but the greater number went away disap- 
pointed. Those who remain cultivate the sugar-cane and make sugar; 
some are engaged in commerce, and others have gone to rearing cattle 
and making butter. The latter industry was formerly unknown here, all 



536 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



butter used in Para, and elsewhere on the Amazon, being imported from 
Europe or the United States. 

Below Santarem the river increased in width so greatly that at times 
both banks were not visible from the steamer. Several unimportant 
points were visited ; rubber, cacao, and other products were received at 
the landings; and the horizon of tropical forest along the banks retained 
its luxuriance and monotony. There were few signs of animal life be- 
yond an occasional hut of a rubber-maker, or a group of natives gazing 
idly at the steamer. 

After stopping a little while at Breves, on the southwest corner of the 
island of Mara jo, the steamer next entered the part of the Amazon known 
as the Para River. Eighteen hours after her departure from Breves she 
dropped her anchor in the harbor of Para, and ended the journey of our 
friends across the South American continent. 




PARA, PROM THE IUVER. 



THE OCEAN PORT OF THE AMAZON. 



>37 



CHAPTER XX. 

PARA.— ITS BUSINESS AND CHARACTERISTICS.— THE ISLAND OF MARAJO.— DOWN 
THE COAST.— PERNAMBUCO.— THE SUGAR INDUSTRY. 

PARA is an important seaport, and has regular communication with 
Europe and America by several lines of steamers. Naturally, the 
trade of the Amazon Valley centres here ; Para is nearer to Europe and 
North America than is Rio Janeiro, and therefore it possesses great com- 
mercial advantages over the capital. It has a population of little less 
than fifty thousand, and but for the political troubles which have fallen 
upon it at different times, and the laws which hamper commerce, it would 
have more than double that number of inhabitants. 



mr -mm 

u^x Jill 



Mjjjpt 




ENVIRONS OF PARA. 

99 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



t 








We will read what Frank and Fred had to say of their visit to this en- 
trepot of the Amazon. 

" It was a great pleasure to us to reach this place, the first real city we 
had seen since we left Lima months ago, and thousands of miles away. 
Here we find gas and street railways ; theatres and hotels ; paved streets, 
and markets with roofs; houses elegantly furnished, and built as though 
intended for something more enduring than the thatched huts of the in- 
terior; public and private carriages, though not many of the latter; well- 
dressed men and women; churches and schools; prosperous merchants 
and extensive commercial houses, together with many other attributes of a 
permanent city. Several visitors have remarked that it was founded in 

the year that saw the death of 
Shakespeare, and Ave will follow 
their example. Its history dates 
from 1616, when Francesco Cal. 
deira laid the foundations of a 
fort which was intended to close 
the Amazon River to foreigners 
who had begun trading with the 
Indians. Its full name is Santa 
Maria do Belem do Gram Para, 
but nobody in this busy nine- 
teenth century thinks of stopping 
to pronounce it ; it is called sim- 
ply 'Para,' with the accent on the 
last syllable. 

" It has had several insurrec- 
tions, which have retarded its pros- 
perity and caused the death of 
many of its citizens. In one of 
these insurrections two hundred 
and fifty of the most prominent 
participants were carried on board 
a ship in the harbor, and confined 
in the hold. There was no ventilation, and the prisoners struggled and 
fought for air; those who came near the hatches were shot, and finally 
the hatches were nailed up. They remained closed until the next morn- 
ing, when only four persons were found alive! It was the Black Hole 
of Calcutta of the western hemisphere ! 

"In a later revolt, thirteen war-ships that had been sent from Rio 



A TROPICAL PLANT. 



STREET SCENES IN PARA. 



339 



Janeiro were sunk by the guns of the fort, but a land force of soldiers 
succeeded in restoring the national authority and suppressing the insur- 
rection. Since that time the city treasury has been plundered by succes- 
sive 'rings,' resembling the Tweed organization in New York, and alto- 
gether Para has had a hard experience. At present it is said to be in 
honest hands, and we hope it may always remain so. 

"Our first walk was through the commercial quarter, where we found 
most of the buildings solidly constructed, and generally two stories high ; 
they are of brick or stone, plastered on the outside, and either painted or 
whitewashed so that the exact nature of their material is not readily ascer- 
tained. Formerly most of the merchants lived above their offices, but of 
late years they have established residences in other parts of the city, and 
the old fashion of living is generally abandoned. 

" We entered the first tram or street-railway car that we saw, and rode 
out nearly five miles along the beautiful Rua de Nazareth, or Nazareth 
Avenue, to Marco da Legua, the terminus of the line. Here we found the 
public wells of the city, and a great crowd of negro laundresses, besides 
the water-carriers, with their water-hogsheads mounted on wheels. They 
were as noisy as they were numerous, and so loud and animated was the 
conversation that we looked around 
every moment, expecting a fight 
with a free use of knives. Happily 
they confined themselves to words 
and gesticulations, and we have 
no scene of bloodshed to record. 

" The water-carriers are gener- 
ally known as Oallegos ; the term 
is a contemptuous one, applied by 
the Portuguese to the Spanish emi- 
grants from Galicia, who go to 
the cities of Portugal and embrace 
the occupation of carrying water. 
The Brazilians have adopted the 
word, and apply it to the Portu- 
guese ; a good deal of enmity is 
kept alive by its use, which is as 
offensive to an inhabitant of 
Para as the term ' Paddy ' ap- f3ltj||j 

plied to an emigrant from the Em- 
erald Isle, in an American city. a dealer in monkeys. 




;40 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




STREET IN PiftA WITH SILK-COTTON TREES. 



" For the first two miles of its 
j7- course the Xiua de Nazareth is 
lined with pretty dwelling-houses, 
and every year there is an addition 
to the number. Few avenues that we have seen are more picturesque 
than this. The sidewalks are shaded with tropical trees, and the air is 
filled with the odor of lemon and orange blossoms, together with similar 
floral perfumes. In our morning's ride we saw, on this avenue, and on 
some of the streets leading from it, not less than a dozen varieties of trees 
peculiar to the region of the equator, and we needed to shut our eyes only 
for a moment to imagine ourselves again in Singapore or beneath the 
tropical sky of Ceylon. 

"Orange and lemon trees alternated with traveller's palms and silk- 
cotton trees, and these again with the producers of the almond and cocoa- 
nut. One of the most attractive of the arboreal ornaments is the silk- 
cotton tree ; it has a broad base, tapering rapidly towards the top, where 
it spreads out into a leafy tuft like that of the palm. It is an evergreen, 
and the changes of the seasons make no difference in its foliage. The 
product that gives the name to the tree is a species of cotton, as soft as 
silk; it can be spun and woven, and is used by the Indians for wrapping 
the arrows of their blow-guns to prevent the escape of air when the weap- 
on is discharged. 

"We came to the Largo de Nazareth, or Nazareth Square, which must 
have been named by a Hibernian, as it is round, and not rectangular. It 
contains the church and chapel where Our Lady of Nazareth is wor- 



CHURCH FESTIVALS AT PARA. 



341 



shipped ; on our return from the end of the railway we stopped at the 
square and visited the revered place. What struck us particularly was 
the great number of votive offerings on the walls of the church and 
chapel ; they represent heads and limbs of the faithful who have been 
cured of diseases through the interposition of the patron saint of the edi- 
fice. We had seen the same sort of things in European churches, but the 
large number at Para seems to indicate that the cures have been as 
numerous as they are miraculous. 

"The festival of Our Lady of Nazareth occurs in October, and the 
event draws great numbers of people to Para from all the provinces of 
the Amazon. It lasts for two weeks, and during that time the square is 
crowded, especially at night, and many of the scenes that are witnessed at 
that period are anything but pious. There are many festivals during 




NAZARETH SQUARE, PARA. 



Q^W 



3±2 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



the course of the year, somewhat to the inconvenience of visitors, as it is the 
rule to close the government offices on these days, and no business of an 
official character can be transacted. Many of the laboring classes refuse 
to work on saints' days, and only those who are in debt to their employers 
can be required to do so. 

" It is proper to remark here that our street-car was drawn by a mule, 
this animal being generally preferred to the horse. He is said to endure 
the heat better than the nobler beast, and certainly he has a good deal of 
it to endure. The average temperature of Para is not far from eighty de- 
grees, and there is very little variation. Overcoats, except for rain, are of 
no use here, and thick clothing is at a discount. We find ourselves en- 
tirely comfortable in blue serge by day, and do not require blankets at 
night. 

" It is hottest about two o'clock in the afternoon, but the heat is al- 
ways tempered by the breeze from the ocean. Five days out of six there 

is an afternoon shower, and as the 
air is laden with moisture taken 
up from the sea the streets of 
Para are never dry and dusty. 
The paved ones are not the best 
in the world ; they are full of 
ruts and hollows, and any one who 
rides in a carriage is pretty certain 
to be shaken violently in every 
joint before reaching his journey's 
end. As for the un paved streets, 
they are often deep with sandy 
mud which makes very disagreea- 
ble walking. 

"We have voted unanimously 
that most of the ladies of Para 
that we have seen are pretty, but 
unfortunately they are not many. 
The women of the upper classes 
are quite secluded ; they rarely 
appear on the street except on their way to or from church, and they do 
not often receive company. Their features are Portuguese, with black 
hair, and a decidedly brunette tinge to their complexions. We have 
bought a photograph of one of the belles of Para and enclose it in this 
letter. 




A PARA BKLLK. 



SCENES IN THE MARKET PLACE. 



34? 



" But though we have seen few of the ladies of Para, we have not 
been deprived of a sight of the people of the lower classes. The wealthy 
and commercial population includes Portuguese and native Brazilians, to- 
gether with English, German, French, Italians, and a few North Ameri- 
cans from the United States. The great mass of the inhabitants are In- 
dians, negroes, Chinese, and some others who cannot be readily classified. 

" The best place to study the lower classes is at the market, which is 
an active place in the early hours of the day. We went there on our 
second morning, and our attention was at once drawn to the piles of ba- 
nanas, pine-apples, oranges, lemons, and all other tropical fruits you could 
think of, besides a great number you could not possibly name. Then 
there were garden vegetables and tobacco, baskets of flowers, heaps of fish, 
cages of chickens and other fowls, and a lot of monkeys and parrots that 
made noise enough for a menagerie. We have a suspicion that the par- 
rots are disposed of as chickens to the restaurants, while the monkeys are 
useful as a substitute for spring lamb. 

" The Indian and negro women sat or stood in the vicinity of their 
stalls, and chatted freely with each other in the intervals of waiting on 
their customers. Most of the chatting was done by the negresses ; the 
Indian women manifested a good deal of the taciturnity for which In- 
dians are famous through both North and South America. Two or three 




THE MARKET AT PARA. 



314 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



priests wandered through the market, occasionally stopping to say a word 
to the peasant women, whose bright garments made a marked contrast to 
the ecclesiastical black robes. The market is held in a large building 
which surrounds an open square; the centre of the square is devoted to 
the sale of meat and fish, while the roofed portion contains the stalls 
where other edibles are displayed. 




- 



"$^' :f ^ :;:: a 






^jir^mb 



m 



m& mm 
JUflpil 




wBsx 



MUR 



HI 






THEATRE OF OUR LADY OF THE PEACE. 



"It is an easy step from the market to the theatre, and it may sur- 
prise you to know that this city of fifty thousand inhabitants has one 
of the finest theatres on the American continent. The interior reminds 
us of the Scala at Milan, or the San Carlo at Naples; it has five tiers of 
boxes, and each box has a little anteroom where the occupants receive 
and entertain their friends between the acts. And if no friends are 



THE THEATRE AND OTHER PUBLIC B17ILDIXGS. 



!-J:5 



calling, the ladies and gentlemen promenade in the corridors and through 
a large ball-room which fills the front of the building. Everybody likes 
this part of the entertainment better than the performance on the stage, 
and in order to accommodate them the waits between the acts are very 
long. 

"The outside of the theatre has deep alcoves on three sides supported 
by massive pillars, affording shelter from the rain and furnishing a de- 
lightful promenade. When performances are given the square in front 
of the theatre is crowded with people and carriages, and the lights flash- 
ing from the interior illumine the scene with a brilliant glow. The build- 
ing was erected just after the close of the war with Paragua} T ; to com- 
memorate that event it was named " The Theatre of Our Lady of The 
Peace." That the city can afford such a theatre and support it is an in- 
dication of the commercial prosperity of Para. 

"There are six large churches in Para, and there are a post-office and 
a custom-house, together with the other public buildings of a first-class 
seaport. The government palace would do honor to any city in the 
world, and it has a marble staircase which is the perfection of architec- 
tural beauty. Then comes the Portuguese Hospital, which has few superi- 
ors anywhere ; Dr. Bronson says it is a model of neatness and order, and 
bears every indication that it is admirably managed. A student of skin 
diseases would find a good field for observation in Para. The hot and 




THE (rOYEr.-NilENT PALACE AT PARA. 



346 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

damp air of the Amazon causes numerous sores, and they are very diffi- 
cult to heal ; the hospital is full of cases of this kind, and they tax to the 
utmost the skill of the physicians in charge. 

" So much for Para, and now for its environs. 

"Para is at the edge of a swamp, and so luxuriant is the vegetation 
in the rear of the city that it is said to be necessary to keep a sergeant 
and a squad of police constantly on guard to prevent encroachments. We 
are seventy-five miles from the sea, and the way thither is through the 
great estuary, or Para River, which is so wide that both banks are not 
visible at the same time. 

"Para is on the southern side of this estuary; opposite is the island 
of Marajo, one hundred and fifty miles in length, and about one hundred 
miles wide in its broadest part. Half of it is covered with forest, and the 
other, the northeastern half, with an extensive campos or prairie, dotted 
here and there with clumps of trees. The forests are the haunt of rubber 
collectors, as the rubber-trees are abundant; the campos is an immense 
grazing land, with a curious history, which is told in this wise: 

" The advantages of the island for raising cattle and horses were 
recognized by the early settlers, who founded estancias, or ranches, there, 
some of them of immense extent. At the end of the last century there 
were a million horses, and half as many oxen and cows, on the island ; the 
horses were nearly or quite wild, and drove the cattle to the swamps 
where many of them died. About the year 1825, the settlers complained 
so much about the ravages of the horses that the government gave licenses 
permitting enterprising men to slaughter these animals for their hides, 
and the work of destruction went on rapidly. In a few years hundreds 
of thousands of horses had been killed off; the bodies were left to rot 
on the ground, and bred a pestilence which destroyed most of the re- 
maining horses and cattle. Its effects still continue, and the farmers 
have sought the assistance of government to protect the remaining ani- 
mals, and stop the ravages of the disease. 

"We were not able to visit any of the estancias, but confined our 
inspection of Marajo to the villages of Sourre and Salvaterra, on the 
southern side of the island, at the entrance of the Igarape Grande. They 
are picturesquely situated on opposite banks of the igarape, Sourre being 
a little farther inland than its sister place with the longer name. We 
crossed the Para River on a steamer that rolled viciously under the effect 
of the wind blowing in from the Atlantic, and long before we reached 
the other shore more than half the passengers were overcome with sea- 
sickness and unable to move. 



THE NEWPORT OF PARA. 



347 



" The accommodations were not of the best, but we were accustomed 
to rough life, and had no reason to complain. Both these places are filled 
from August to January by many people from Para, to whom Sourre and 
Salvaterra are as Newport or Long Branch to New-Yorkers. The tide 
brings in a fine flow of sea-water, and the breezes are stronger and cooler 
than at the capital city. There is a good beach for bathing, and when it 
is not occupied by the fashionables it is the scene of a great deal of activ- 
ity on the part of the natives. We hired a boat and a couple of Indians 
to paddle us two or three miles up the igarape and back again. The 
banks are lined with gardens, from which many vegetables are sent to the 
market of Para. 




i HIM 




SOURRE AND SALVATERRA. 



"In the interior of the island there are farms and plantations where 
sugar-cane, cacao, cotton, rice, and mandioca are grown, but the greatest 
industry of Marajo is in the exportation of cattle. The trade is said to 
reach about ten thousand head every year; horses are scarce, and a good 
riding animal brings a high price. 

"We returned from Sourre by the way we went, and reached Para one 
day before the steamer was due which would carry us down the coast. 
This letter will go to New York by the next steamer, and so for the 
present we will say good-bye. 

" Frank and Feed. 



343 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"P. S. — Our account of Para would be incomplete without an allusion 
to snakes. In many houses they have snakes of the boa-constrictor fam- 
ily — of the kind we saw on the Amazon — to keep the place clear of rats 
and mice. They do their work very well, and live on terms of quiet 
friendship with the biped inhabitants. At Sourre we saw the household 
snake coiled up in a corner very much as we might see a cat in a New 
England dwelling; when we manifested a curiosity to look at it one of 
the servants took the reptile by the neck and held it up to full view un- 
til we declared ourselves satisfied with the inspection. The creature did 

not'seem at all angry at his treat- 
ment, for as soon as he was released 
he returned to his corner and re- 
sumed his nap. 

" We have just visited Monkey 
Joe's establishment, which is de- 
voted to the sale of monkeys, par- 
rots, snakes, and other Amazonian 
live-stock. We made no purchases, 
in spite of the tempting offers at 
low prices, as we have found one 
monkey quite as much as we wish 
to carry in our travels. Outside of 
the shop a man was standing with 
a barrel by his side ; when we left 
the place he followed us a short 
distance and emptied his barrel 
on the ground. He was a snake- 
merchant, with a choice selection 
of rat-killers that he vainly urged 
us to buy. We left him and his 
wares ; as he was perfectly at home 
among the wriggling serpents, and had no fear of them, he was unable to 
understand why we departed so suddenly. 

" F. and F." 




A SNAKK MERCHANT. 



Before leaving Para our friends had an experience at the custom- 
house which was the reverse of pleasing. They had bought some curiosi- 
ties they wished to send to New York; the formalities of the tariff re- 
quired them to pay an export duty of seventeen per cent, on the cost of 
the goods at Para prices, and they learned that on some articles the duties 



COMMEKCE AND TARIFFS. 



349 



were much larger. This is particularly the case with fine cabinet woods, 
which are abundant in Brazil, but are very little in demand for shipment 
to foreign countries, in consequence of the high export tariff. 

" Foreign trade can never be prosperous in Brazil," said Dr. Bronson, 
"until these export duties are removed. In addition to the custom-house 
tariff at Para, there is a duty on goods carried from one province to an- 
other, so that all articles of Brazilian manufacture or production are heav- 
ily burdened before they get out of the country. Brazil may become 
enlightened one of these days, and adopt the practices of other nations in 
this respect, but for the present she ranks with Turkey and other semi- 
barbarous countries in keeping a burden upon her home industries." 

Frank asked about the import duties on foreign goods. 

"They are from five to eighty per cent, on the valuation," replied the 
Doctor, "and a general average of the duties on importations is about 
forty per cent. They vary according to the caprice of the official through 
whose hands the articles may pass, so that one importer may pay twice as 
much as another on the same kind of goods. Bribery is said to be prac- 
tised with very little effort at concealment, and an importer may be high- 
ly favored in his business by an 'arrangement' with an officer. As long 
as this state of things continues there will be no great increase in business. 

" The Brazilian plan of collecting the revenues is full of absurdities. 
For example, shoes pay according to the length of the- sole, and ready- 
made clothing is taxed by its weight. The people who came here from 
the United States to settle in Brazil were required to pay enormous duties 
on their wagons, farming implements, and other personal property, and in 
some cases the duties amounted to more than the original cost of the 




GOING ASMOKE IN A JAGANDA. 



350 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




articles they brought. Many of 
them had invested all their means 
in farming implements, and found 
on arrival that they could not re- 
move their property from the cus- 
tom-house until every cent of the 
heavy duty had been paid. This 
was one cause of the discourage- 
ments of the emigrants at the beginning, and has deterred others from 
coming." 

From the latest reports at hand Frank ascertained that, of the im- 
port trade into the whole of Brazil, England had forty-five per cent., 
France seventeen per cent., Buenos Ay res seven per cent., the United 
States five per cent., and Portugal three and one half per cent. Of all the 
exports from Brazil the United States took forty -live per cent, and Great 
Britain nine per cent., the rest going principally to France, Germany, 
and Portugal. England and the United States each take about two thou- 
sand five hundred tons of rubber annually, France has most of the cacao, 
and the other products are about equally divided among the various 
nations, the United States having probably the largest share. Brazil sup- 
plies more than half of the coffee consumed by the rest of the world; it 



SITUATION OF PERNAMBUCO. 



351 



is well blown that thousands of tons of Brazilian coffee are sold every 
year as " Government Java," while Java coffee in its turn is sold as " best 
Mocha." 

In due time the little party embarked on one of the English steamers 
bound to the southward ; in a few hours they had passed out of the estu- 
ary of the Para River and were floating on the broad Atlantic. Their 
first stopping-place was Pernambuco, a distance of fifteen hundred miles, 
and for much of the way there they were in sight of the coast. A few 
towns were visible with the aid of glasses, but for the most part there 
were no more signs of human activity than on the banks of the 
Amazon. 

They had a day at Pernambuco, which has a harbor inside of a long 
reef affording secure anchorage for small ships. Large steamers anchor 
outside, and transfer their cargoes by means of lighters. A steam tender 
came alongside, but as the wind was fair to the shore, and there was likely 
to be some delay in transferring the mails and express freight, Manuel 
negotiated for a jaganda, which seemed to the youths a twin brother of 
the balsa, whose acquaintance they made on the western coast. 

It is a raft with a sail, and the most of the jagandas have a cabin, 
where a passenger is sheltered from the spray. Frank and Fred greatly 
enjoyed the sail to the shore, and had the satisfaction of landing at least 
half an hour in advance of their companion travellers who waited for the 
tender. 

The recife or reef which forms the front of Pernambuco is connected 
with the city by an iron bridge; at its upper end it is joined to the land 




PKRNAMBUCO. 



352 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



by a sand-spit, and the principal business of the place is centred there. As 
their time was limited, the youths confined their attentions to the old city 
and the sights of the streets of the newer portion. 

Pernambuco stands in an enclosure of mountains that sweep in a semi- 
circle around a fertile plain. Recife is the business part; San Antonio 
is the middle district; and Boa Vista may be called the suburb. The 
city has about one hundred and twenty thousand inhabitants, and is the 
third in commercial importance in Brazil. It is the greatest sugar-market 
of South America, its exportation often reaching twelve hundred thou- 
sand tons in a single year. Most of the sugar sent from Pernambuco is 
of a low grade, and must be refined in the United States or England be- 
fore going into the market for consumption. 




PACK HORSES LADEN WITH SUGAR. 



Frank and Fred were not long in finding by observation the chief 
industry of the city. At every step they saw sugar ; it was on the light- 
ers going to the ships in the harbor; it was in the warehouses, where the 
negro porters were handling sacks filled with it ; it was on the backs of 
pack-horses, coming from the country in great droves ; it was heaped on 
ox-wagons, which filled the streets ; in fact, in was here, there, and every- 
where. The very atmosphere was redolent with sugar, and the pave- 
ments were sticky with molasses. Pernambuco without sugar would be 
Hamlet without Hamlet. 

The streets of the business portion are narrow, and there are traces of 
Flemish architecture in the buildings erected during the time when 
Count Moritz of Nassau and his followers were domiciled in Pernambuco. 
There are houses of many stories, such as we see in cities of Holland, but 
rarely find in the tropics, where the effort of ascending a stairway is one 



MAKING SUGAR IN BRAZIL. 



353 




of the trials of existence. Farther on the streets are wide, and run in 
straight lines, and they have broad sidewalks, tracks for street cars, and 
handsome dwellings that might have come from Philadelphia or Balti- 
more. There are several public edifices that would be creditable any- 
where ; the market is a model of beauty and good arrangement, and the 
squares and gardens are handsome and spacious. Time did not permit 
an excursion into the country nor a visit to one of the sugar plantations 
in the neighborhood. 

Frank learned that within the last few years the most enterprising of 
the sugar-planters have gone to refining the product of their plantations 
by means of machinery, much to the consternation of the refiners of Eng- 
land and the United States. The sugar, after being boiled to crystalliza- 
tion, but containing a good deal of molasses, is placed in a cylinder per- 
forated with thousands of small holes that seem to have been made with 
a pin. The cylinder is whirled around two thousand times a minute; 
the molasses is thrown off by centrifugal force and the sugar remains. 
Then a jet of water is introduced, and afterwards a jet of steam ; water 
and steam wash the sugar perfectly clean, and it is then dried and broken 
into coarse powder. The whole work with the cylinder occupies only a 
few minutes ; the molasses that is thrown off is boiled to make brown 
sugar, and the second molasses which comes from it is utilized for distil- 
lation. 

23 



354 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTEK XXL 

BAHIA AND ITS INDUSTRIES.— RIO JANEIRO.— THE BAY AND THE CITY.— SIGHTS 
OF THE CAPITAL.— EMPEROR DOM PEDRO II. 

BAHIA was the next city visited by the youthful travellers. For two 
days the steamer kept near the coast of Brazil, which presented a 
more picturesque appearance than near the month of the Amazon. There 
was a background of hills tilling the western horizon, and occasional head- 
lands jutting into the sea ; in several places the hills rose to the dignity of 
mountains, and formed an agreeable contrast to the stretches of sandy 
beach, backed by low forests, which extend much of the way from Para to 
Pernambuco. 




VIEW OF BAHIA. 



THE BAY OF ALL SAINTS. 



355 



Baliia takes its name from the Bay of All Saints (Babia de Todos os 
Santos), on which it stands. It is a magnificent sheet of water, thirty- 
seven miles long from north to south, and twenty-seven from east to west, 
and its depth varies from eight to forty fathoms. It has two entrances 
from the south, and is an admirable shelter for ships of all possible ton- 
nage. 

The bay also gives its name to a province with an area of two hundred 
thousand square miles ; the province of Bahia contains some of the richest 
land of Brazil, especially along the coast, where there are many plantations, 
and a liberal sprinkling of towns and villages. Sugar, tobacco, rice, cotton, 
and coffee are the principal products ; the coffee is inferior to that of Rio, 
but the tobacco is good enough to be made into " Havana " cigars and sold 
as such in England and the United States. 




DIAMOND-WASHING IN BRAZIL, 



Diamonds were discovered in the province of Bahia in 1844, and since 
that time their fame has spread through the world. The celebrated dia- 
mond " Star of the South" came from the mines of Brazil, and in the few 
years following the discovery the yield was so great as to seriously disturb 



356 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




" STAR OF THE SOUTH." 



the diamond market of Europe, and cause a 
heavy decline in the prices of the gems. At 
present the product has greatly diminished. 

The steamer entered the bay and anchored 
in front of the city, which is beautifully 
situated, partly on a series of hills, and partly 
at their base. The old, and business, portion 
is near the water ; its streets are narrow, and 
the buildings are four or five stories high, 
very solidly built of stone. The great business street is the Praya, which 
runs for about four miles along the water front, and contains, among other 
public edifices, a church built of stone imported from Europe in the ships 
that came out in ballast to carry away the produce of Brazil. 

Altogether there are about sixty churches in Bahia, and some of them 
are amono; the finest on the South American continent. Bahia was the 
first settlement of Europeans in Brazil, and a flourishing city before Kio 
Janeiro was known to the world. The bay was discovered by Americus 
Vespucius in 1503, and the city was founded seven years later. From 
1549 until 1763 it was the capital of the Portuguese possessions in South 
America ; in the last-named year the honor was transferred to Kio Janeiro, 
and the city has suffered a great deal during the various political commo- 
tions to which Brazil has been subject. 

The population of more than one hundred and fifty thousand is as 
variously composed as that of Para or Pernambuco. The whites, blacks, 
and mixed races are about equally divided; among the former there are 
many English and German merchants, the Germans predominating. The 
foreign commerce is chiefly with England and Germany, but there is a 
considerable trade with the United States, in which the Brazilian exports 
vastly exceed the importations. 

"We were saved the exertion of walking to the upper town," said 
Fred, in his note-book, " as there is a steam elevator which performs the 
work much more cheaply than human muscle could do it. From the top 
of the hill, about four hundred feet above the bay, we had a magnificent 
view that we will never forget. 

" In front was the ocean, with the deep blue of the tropics, and its 
horizon line, which seemed rising to meet the sky. The bay was dotted 
with sails and row-boats; out on the ocean there was here and there a 
stipple of white which told of a sail, or a stream of smoke denoting the 
course of a steamer ; on either side of our position were streets and squares 
of handsome houses, standing in rows and groups of palm or other trees 



FEATHER-FLOWERS OF BRAZIL. 



357 



of the equatorial regions; and in the background of the picture was a set- 
ting of everlasting hills, interspersed with bits and patches of prairie or 
undulating ground. We have nowhere seen a prettier spot than this, and 
endorse the assertion of previous visitors that Bahia is one of the most 
picturesque cities of the South American continent. 

"When we landed we were pestered by pedlers who wanted to sell 
the famous feather-flowers of Brazil, and this reminded us that Bahia is 
the centre of the industry. After we had enjoyed the view from the 
upper part of the city we engaged a carriage and drove to the convent 
where the finest of these flowers are made. Formerly the convent had a 
monopoly of the business, and derived a handsome revenue from thew r ork 
of the nuns; but of late years there have been many rivals, and the con- 
vent trade has not been as prosperous as of yore. 




PORTERS ASLEEP. 



" You never saw anything more perfect than these imitations of natural 
flowers. Put a cluster of them side by side with a bouquet of genuine 
flowers and you will have to guess ' which is which.' It w T ould be nothing 
more than a guess so far as the eye is concerned, as the imitation is perfect 
in color, shape, size — in everything but smell. Here are lilies, budding, 
half-opened, or in full bloom ; hyacinths with their delicate purple ; orange- 
flowers that seem just crystallized from the snow ; violets shrinking in 
their modest hue of blue ; roses, in all the colors for which the rose is 
famed, and in all conditions of growth and bloom ; together with buds 
and blooms and blossoms of many and many a flower unfamiliar to our 
eyes. 

" They showed us admirable collections of humming-birds flying among 
leaves and flowers. The birds were the natural bodies, carefully preserved, 
and so poised in their positions as to present the appearance of life; the 
flowers and leaves were formed of the feathers of other birds, and simu- 



358 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




lated to perfection the growth of 
the forest. One collection embraced 
nearly five hundred humming-birds 
of all colors and combinations of 
colors, but we were told that it did 
not include all the varieties of hum- 
ming-bird in South America. 

" We bought several dollars' worth 
of these flowers, and it was well that 
onr time was limited, or we might 
have been tempted to spend more 
money than we could afford. The 
feather-flowers are made by the nuns 
in the convent; they have the natural 
flowers before them, or carefully 
drawn and tinted representations 
upon paper, to serve as models. 
Practice makes perfect in this as in 
everything else, but I imagine that 
those who achieve success in the 
work must have a natural aptitude 
for the selection of colors. We were assured that all the colors of the 
feathers were natural, though we have our suspicions that the establish- 
ment makes use of dyes. Whether our suspicions are correct or not it 
is certain that the birds of South America are blessed with brilliant plu- 
mage. 

" There is a fine market-house at Bahia, which we visited, and another 
which may be called ' the open market,' on the shore of the bay. Most of 
the frequenters of the latter market were negroes and other people of. very 
dark complexions ; there were a few planters on horseback, and from the 
way they remained close to their steeds when not sitting upon them we 
inferred that it would compromise their dignity to appear as pedestrians. 
Many of the negroes carried burdens on their heads; those who rolled 
casks or moved heavy bales acted as though they would prefer to transport 
them in the other fashion, but a barrel is too unwieldy to be carried on the 
summit of the skull. 

" Most of the heavy work of Bahia is performed by negroes, as at Para 
or Pernambuco, and the effort to domesticate Chinese coolies has not been 
successful. The planters complain that since the decree of emancipation 
they cannot get as much work out of the negroes as formerly. This is 



BRAZILIAN HUMMING-BIRDS. 



BRAZILIAN SLAVE-OWNERS. 



359 




MARKET SCENE, BAHIA. 

more than probable, as the slaves were treated with great cruelty; a Bra- 
zilian slave-owner was a type of all that was barbarous, though there were 
doubtless many owners who treated their human property with kindness. 
To judge by the faces of some of the planters we have seen, I would not 
like to be in their power, and incur their displeasure. There is little 
compassion visible in the hard lines of their features. 




PORTERS AKD CASK. 



360 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



"Modern modes of travel have not abolished the sedan chair, which 
flourishes in Bahia, Rio Janeiro, and other cities of Brazil. It is less com- 
fortable than the sedan chair of Hong Kong and Canton, but preferable 
to the palanquin or the dhoolie of India. Like the Chinese chair or the 
Indian palkee, it is slung on a pole, and carried by porters ; the latter are 




SEDAN CHAIR. 



generally a couple of stalwart negroes, who make the best porters in the 
world, especially where the climate is as warm as that of Bahia. Every 
respectable citizen must have his sedan ; the vehicle is richly decorated, 
according to the taste and wealth of the owner, and when it is no longer 
serviceable it is sold for public use. Not infrequently a public sedan bears 

the crest of a private citizen ; the 
decayed and faded curtains, and the 
general air of dilapidation pervading 
the concern, tell very plainly what 
has been its former state. Some of 
the porters are arrayed in solemn 
black, including dress coats and stiff 
hats, and their appearance has .a sug- 
gestion of the grotesque. But it is 
the fashion of the country, and we 
do not propose to interfere with it. 
" Evening found us back on the 
steamer, and at sunset we passed through the southern entrance of the bay 
and were once more on the ocean. Our prow was turned to Rio, eight 
hundred miles away, and we steamed gayly along on our course. Some- 




PUAME OF SEDAN. 



THE BAY OF RIO JANEIRO. 



!61 



times we kept far out to sea, to avoid dangerous reefs, on which many a 
ship has gone to pieces, and at others we swept close in shore, and had fine 
views of the land. The hills grow in size as we increase our distance 
from the equator, and after a time the mountains of the coast range fill 
the western horizon. With our glasses we can distinguish many houses 
and villages, and are not surprised to learn that the region is a fertile 
one. 

" The coasting steamers make half a dozen stoppages on the way from 
Bahia to Rio, but we do not halt. None of the way ports are of great 




ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR OF RIO. 



consequence, but if the country behind them could be developed to its 
proper capacity there would be a heavy business at places now unknown 
to the commercial world. Some of the mountain slopes may be difficult 
of cultivation on account of their dryness, but there is a vast area of 
country that only waits the work of the colonist to enable it to produce 
abundantly." 

Four days from Bahia brought the steamer in sight of " The Sugar- 
Loaf," the sharply conical peak nearly two thousand feet high which is 
the landmark of the magnificent bay of Rio Janeiro, pronounced by many 
visitors the finest in the world. Some there. are who claim pre-eminence 



362 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



for the Bay of Naples ; others, but they are few in number, who have 
entered Avatcha Bay, in Kamtchatka, say it .surpasses the Bay of Rio ; and 
others again give preference to the Bay of Yokohama, in Japan. Among 
onr three friends there were no less than three opinions : Naples, Avatcha, 
and Yokohama had each an advocate, but all agreed in giving the second 
honor to Rio. With this honor it must remain content. 

Its general shape is that of a triangle, and it is nearly a hundred miles 
in circumference. There is but a single entrance, and that a narrow one, 
so that a ship once inside is in water as smooth as that of a lake. It is set 




VIEW OF RIO JANEIRO FROM THE SEA. 



in mountains whose sides are thickly covered with foliage, and its surface 
is studded with islands, nearly a hundred in all. The name of the bay, 
" Rio de Janeiro," was given under the supposition that it was not a bay, 
but the mouth of a large river. There is no stream of consequence enter- 
ing the ocean at this point, and the " River of January " exists only in the 
imagination. 

Not wholly in the imagination, however, as it belongs to the city which 
is the capital of Brazil, and has a population of three hundred thousand ; 
to the municipality containing the city, and having an area of five hundred 
and forty square miles; and to the province containing city and munici- 



SCENE IN THE HARBOR. 363 

pality, with an area of eighteen thousand square miles, and a population 
of a million and a quarter, of many races, colors, and kinds. In the bay, 
city, municipality, and province we have Rio de Janeiro four times over. 
Perhaps in some future day the empire will cease to be known as Brazil, 
and adopt the name of its capital. 

The larger islands in the bay are occupied, and cultivated wherever 
possible; many of them are fortified, and several are surmounted by 
churches or chapels. The entrance to the bay is only two thousand feet 
wide, and defended by forts, one at the base of the Sugar Loaf and the 
other nearly opposite. Together they would make it very tropical for a 
hostile fleet, and just inside the entrance is another fort, which is intended 
to take care of anything that escapes the outer defences. 

As the steamer came to her anchorage she was surrounded by a swarm 
of boats, which kept at a respectful distance until the arrival of the health 
officer, without whose authority there could be no communication between 
ship and shore. If the doctor and the youths had been unaware of their 
latitude the merchandise of the boats would have told them, without the 
aid of the hot sun in the sky overhead. There were monkeys and parrots 
in great abundance ; an assortment of snakes, and other creeping things ; 
bananas, pineapples, and other tropical fruits; yams, sweet potatoes, man- 
dioca root, and other "garden truck" of the country; tobacco and cigars 
in all conditions of badness ; and other merchandise only to be designated 
by native names. The boatmen kept up an incessant talk, mingled with 
many gesticulations, and the half-hour spent in waiting for the health of- 
ficer was by no means lost. 

By and by that official came, the ship was pronounced " clean," and 
the passengers were free to land. From the anchorage the city does not 
present an imposing appearance, as it is only partially visible ; portions of 
it are screened by the hills, which break its front and divide it into several 
quarters. In consequence of these hills it straggles over a considerable 
area, and is really made up of a series of suburbs; from the centre of 
the city to Botofago is a good three miles, and it is the same distance the 
other way to another suburb or district of equal importance. Like our 
Washington, it is a city of magnificent distances ; in order to see it all at 
once you must climb the hills in the rear, and look at the metropolis 
nestling at your feet. Only till you do this can you realize its great- 
ness. 

Rio was evidently built with a view to permanence. At least Frank 
and Fred thought so, as they landed at the piers of solid granite, with 
steps leading down to the water and facilitating debarkation at every 



364 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




FRONT VIEW OF THE CITY. 



stage of the tide. Near the landing-place was a market, where they found 
groups of negroes waiting for work, or possibly waiting to avoid having 
work to do. There were heaps of fruit and vegetables, similar to what 
they had seen in Para and Pernambuco, and the same chatter and com- 
motion prevailed among the venders and their patrons. 

"We depended upon Fred for an account of the visit to Bahia, and will 
ask Frank to tell us about Bio de Janeiro. 

"From the landing-place we went first to the hotel," said Frank, " un- 
der the guidance of a runner, who had met us at the steamer. We went 
without our baggage, which was taken directly from the ship to the cus- 
tom-house. Nobody is in a hurry in this country ; we knew there would 
be a delay in bringing the trunks and bags from the steamer, and that 
we could utilize it by securing our quarters. We made all arrangements 
for our stay, and then went to the custom-house, which we reached just 
as Manuel arrived with our impedimenta. 



PORTERS IN RIO. 



365 



" The officials were polite but slow. We managed to get the atten- 
tion of one of them, who promised to ' expediate ' our business ; as he took 
at least an hour for accomplishing what might have been done in five or 
ten minutes, I shudder to think what M^ould have been our fate without 
any ' expedition.' Porters were ready to seize upon the parcels as they 
were released from the custom-house, and it was a comical spectacle 
that Manuel presented as he marched at the front of a column of scan- 
tily-dressed negroes, each of whom bore some part of our personal effects 
on his head. 

"Down to a few years ago nearly all the transportation of Eio was 
conducted in this way. Coffee, sugar, and other merchandise was placed 
on the heads of negroes, who trotted nimbly along, carrying sacks weigh- 
ing one hundred and sixty pounds as though they were only a tenth of 




,COFl'EE-CARRIERS. 



that amount. Articles that were too much for one man were slung on 
poles, or balanced on the heads of two, four, or possibly eight or ten por- 
ters; it was no uncommon sight to see a piano or a large box poised on 
the heads of four or six men, and the stranger could not help thinking 
what might be the result if one of the number should make a misstep and 
fall to the ground. 

" The negroes had almost a monopoly of the carrying trade, and when 



366 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




COAL-CARRIERS. 

carts were introduced there was very nearly a riot in consequence. Dan- 
ger was averted by placing a limit to the number of carts, and a continu- 
ance of the old system without a reduction of prices. The business of 
transportation still requires a great deal of head-work on the part of the 
negroes, and there is no likelihood that they will be altogether superseded. 
We met several groups of coffee-carriers, each with a sack on his head, 
and near the landing-place was a line of coal-carriers with their appropri- 
ate burdens. 

"Many of the trucks and carts are drawn by hand, and consequently 
the mule and the negro may be regarded as rivals in this department of 
labor. But there seems to be perfect friendship between them, if I may 
judge by a scene I witnessed of a mule and a negro lying down together, 
and the negro using the mule for a pillow. 




MODKRN INNOVATIONS. 



PORTERS IN THE BRAZILIAN CAPITAL. 



367 




PEDLERS OF DRY-GOODS. 



" The leader of a gang of cof- 
fee-carriers has a rattle in his hand, 
and keeps time with it for his fol- 
lowers. They step to the mu- 
sic, and aid it by a low, monoto- 
nous chant, in words quite unin- 
telligible to our ears. Sometimes 
the rattle gives place to a small flag, 
which is waved in unison with the 
step ; the men who propel carts 
or trucks have no use for flags or 
rattles, though sometimes they 
stick a flag in front of the vehicle 
as an indication of ownership. 

" AH things considered, I have 
never seen a city where so many 
things were carried on the head 
as in Rio Janeiro. Pedlers of 

dry-goods go from house to house, followed by negroes bearing boxes or 
bales of the finery which they offer for sale ; the practice saves the ladies 
the trouble of going to the shops when they want to buy anything, and 
enables the dealers to work off a great many things that would not be 
easy to dispose of otherwise. Before we had fairly landed at the hotel 
we were besieged by pedlers, and forcibly reminded of our experience 
at Singapore, Calcutta, and other cities of Asia. 

" Fruit and poultry are borne on 
the heads of the market men and 
women, the former in open baskets 
and the latter in covered ones. We 
met a poultry dealer with a huge 
basket on his head, and at least a 
dozen chickens were craning their 
necks out of the spaces between the 
slats. He was farther weighted with 
a goose and a couple of tnrkej T s swing- 
ing at his side, and I have no doubt 
he would have added another dozen 
of chickens without hesitation. 

"Water-carriers balance casks 
poultry dealer. and buckets on their heads ; cooks, 




368 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




FRUIT VENDER. 



chambermaids, and servants of all 
kinds and descriptions follow the 
universal custom ; and it would be 
interesting to know what Mr. Dar- 
win thinks of the development of 
species under such circumstances. 
The skull of the Brazilian porter a 
thousand years hence ought to be 
not less than an inch in thickness, 
and have a resisting power equal to 
that of a mortar shell. 

" Sedan chairs abound, but they 
are less numerous than formerly, as a good many people now indulge in 
carriages who once relied upon chairs for their locomotion. They are of 
the same model as the chairs, of Bahia, and the bearers have a kindred 
complexion and dress. For public conveyances there are carriages, omni- 
buses, and street cars; the street railways of Rio Janeiro are patronized 
by everybody, and it is said that the original company has made a divi- 
dend of three hundred per cent, every year on the amount of capital in- 
vested ! The concession was obtained by some New-Yorkers, and the 
Brazilians have been much chagrined at the ease with which they al- 
lowed the foreigners to take possession of such an excellent bonanza as 
this. 

" The omnibus is here called a gondola, and we have been told how 
the name originated. It may not be true, but you know the old Italian 
proverb, ' Si non e vero e ben irovato? 

"An omnibus company had a monopoly of the business indicated by 
its name; the government and people were much dissatisfied with the way 
its business was conducted, as the vehicles were small, dirty, and insuffi- 
cient in number, and the fares were very high. The government could 
not break its word by giving privileges to another company, and the mo- 
nopolists felt secure. 

"But an enterprising genius suggested that a company could be li- 
censed to run gondolas in the streets of Rio, and the hint was taken at 
once. The gondola company placed its vehicles in operation, and, though 
the old company protested, the protests were of no avail. Who shall say 
hereafter that there's nothing in a name ? 

" While I've been writing the foregoing, Fred has been looking up the 
history of the city, and is prepared to tell you about it. I will rest a 
while and let him have the floor." 



EARLY HISTORY OF RIO. 



369 




" Rio is a younger city than 
Bahia," wrote Fred, " as it was 
not permanently settled until 
1555. There were two tem- 
porary settlements previous to 
this— in 1531 and 1552— but 
they lasted only a short time, 
the first being abandoned in 
less than four months after its 
formation. 

"The first settlers were 
French Huguenots, who pros- 
pered so well that the king of 
Portugal ordered them driven out in ten years from the founding of the 
colony. The governor of Bahia executed the order, and established a 
Portuguese colony in place of the French one. 

" The Huguenots got along very well with the natives, but the Portu- 
guese were constantly at war with them ; the history of the first hundred 
years of the colony is full of bloodshed, not only in conflicts with the 
Indians, but in quarrels among the settlers. Assassinations were frequent, 

21 



VIKW IN THE BAY OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 



370 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and on several occasions it seemed as though the local dissensions would 
bring the colonization of the country to an. end. • 

" In 1763 Rio was made the viceregal capital, much to the annoyance 
of the inhabitants of Bahia, which had hitherto held the honor. The 
transfer of the capital was a piece of good fortune for Rio, which it has 
maintained without interruption. Its glory was increased in 1808, when 
the Prince-Regent of Portugal arrived with the intention of making his 
home in Brazil until the declaration of a general peace in Europe. 

" The residence of the royal family at Rio was the occasion of public 
rejoicing, and the people readily surrendered their houses for the accom- 
modation of the sovereign and the retainers of his court. After the 
declaration of peace, and the return of the king to Europe, their loyalty 
cooled very materially, and in 1821 came the revolution, which made Brazil 
independent of Portugal. 

" In 1822, the son of the King of Portugal was declared Emperor of 
Brazil, with the title of Dora Pedro I. The present occupant of the 
throne, Dom Pedro II., is the son of the first Emperor of Brazil, and ranks 
among the enlightened rulers of the nineteenth century. The country is 




AN IMPERIAL PALACE. 



THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL. 



371 



indebted to him for much of its material progress; it is no fault of the 
emperor that Brazil is not yet in a foremost position among the nations 
of the globe. 

" We had a glimpse of the emperor to-day, as he drove rapidly along 
the principal street of the city, about four o'clock in the afternoon. He 
was born in 1825, and is therefore well along in years, as you can see by 
his full beard, which is of almost snowy whiteness. He has a keen, sharp, 
commanding eye, and an expression that proclaims him 'every inch a 
king.' We had a glance only, and then he was out of our sight, but we 




STATUE OF PEDRO I. 



cannot soon forget the impression it left behind. He was in civilian dress, 
and if we had looked for his crown and sceptre we should have looked in 
vain. He is said to maintain comparatively little of the pomp and vanity 
of an imperial court, and would like to banish them altogether, if it were 
possible and judicious to do so. 

" He is probably the most industrious imperial ruler in the world, as 
he devotes from twelve to fifteen hours daily to official work in one form 
or another. He examines state papers, sits witli the officers of his cabi- 
net, listens to reports and suggestions, visits schools, hospitals, and other 



372 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



public institutions, is present at ceremonials, entertains strangers, and can 
talk well on almost any topic of the day. He has a taste for music, 
science, and geography, and can discuss the last new opera, the researches 
of Darwin, or the explorations of Stanley, with intelligence and discrimi- 
nation. 

" You may remember his visit to the United States at the time of our 
Centennial; how rapidly he moved from place to place, and with what 
interest he went on sight-seeing expeditions. The officers of his staff 
who accompanied him were exhausted by their exertions, while the em- 
peror was always fresh, and ready for something new. He avoided pub- 
lic demonstrations wherever he could do so without giving offence, and 
devoted his limited stay of four months to an inspection of the country, 
and a study of its institutions. From America he went to Europe for a 
longer tour. His return to Rio was the occasion of great rejoicing, and 
the demonstrations were as sincere as they were elaborate." 




SCENE IN A BRAZILIAN SUBURB. 



THE CHURCHES OF RIO. 373 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE SIGHTS OF RIO.— PUBLIC BUILDINGS, AQUEDUCT, CHURCHES, MIRACLES, AND 
FUNERALS.— VISIT TO TIJUCA AND METROPOLIS.— THE SERRA. 

HPHE party remained several days in Eio, and Lad abundant occupation 
-*- for eyes and ears. One of the days was devoted to a religious fes- 
tival ; there were processions on the streets and services in the churches, 
and the whole population seemed to give itself to idleness in honor of the 
saint to whom that date of the almanac belonged. Rio Janeiro is a Cath- 
olic city, but less intense in its religious feeling than Bahia. Many ad- 
herents of the Catholic Church regard Bahia as an American Rome, from 
which all religious dogmas and teachings affecting the continent are ex- 
pected to proceed. 

Rio is well provided with churches, and some of them are admirable 
specimens of ecclesiastical architecture. The youths visited the cathedral 
and perhaps half a dozen of the principal churches, but did not take the 
trouble to go through the entire list. The churches of Rio are never 
closed ; at almost any hour service is going on in one of the chapels of 
the cathedral, and the stranger who desires to see the people at worship 
has no lack of opportunity. 

Yotive offerings are as numerous in the churches of Rio as at Para, if 
we may judge by the accounts of the youths. Frank made a sketch of 
one collection of these offerings, while Fred recorded the inscriptions re- 
lating to them. 

The sketch included busts, arms, legs, hands, and faces, moulded in 
wax or carved in wood, perhaps twenty in all. There was a representa- 
tion of a large tumor on the neck of one of the faithful, who was cured 
by the interposition of the saint, and below it was a painting of a ship 
being driven on the rocks at the base of a steep cliff. The ship and crew 
seemed doomed to certain destruction, but though the ship was lost all 
the crew escaped, in consequence of an appeal to the patron saint. 

Another painting showed the saint appearing in the form of an angel, 
to an invalid sitting in an arm-chair; the inscription says he had not 
been able to walk for years, but by following the direction he received he 

24* 



374 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




VOTIVE OFFERINGS IN A CHURCH AT RIO. 



was a well man on the following day. Another picture represented a 
similar visit to a man lying on a sick-bed, and the legend below it records 
a similar miraculous result. 

The abundance of these votive offerings shows the trusting faith of 
the pious Brazilians, and their conscientious belief in saintly power. The 
religion of the country is Catholic; the emperor is a devout worshipper, 
and a careful observer of the feasts and fasts ordained bv the Church, but 




» s=gJ^ n.«nir»-mi" lf J 



VIEW IN THE BAY. 



ANCIENT VOTIVE OFFERINGS. 



375 



lie is a firm believer in the fullest toleration of all religions, and sternly 
represses any demonstrations of bigotry. 

There are Protestant churches in most of the cities of Brazil. The 
United States Board of Foreign Missions has an establishment in the 
empire, which receives a small allowance from the Brazilian government; 
the ministers of the German and Swiss colonies of emigrants are paid by 
the imperial government; and, altogether, the adherents of other religions 
than that of the state run no risk of persecution " for opinion's sake." 
The constitution says that religionists other than Catholics shall restrict 
their worship to buildings " without the exterior form of temples." 

For religious purposes the empire is divided into twelve dioceses, com- 
prising one metropolitan province, under the archbishop at Bahia. The 
diocese of Bahia is presided over by the archbishop, and each of the 
other eleven is under the control of a bishop. The empire is further 
divided into twelve hundred and ninety-nine parishes; the vicars are 
mostly foreigners, and among these foreign vicars the Portuguese pre- 
dominate. 

Some of the votive offerings and relics are very old, bearing dates of 
two or three centuries ago. In one church 
our friends were shown an alms-box which 
was anciently used for collecting donations 
for " Our Lady of the Good Voyage." It 
was suspended by a strap from the neck of 
the collector, who went among the sailors on 
the arrival of ships from any part of the 
world, and especialty from Portugal, in the 
days of the vice royalty. The honesty of 
the collector was insured by a lock, which is 
a curious, three-cornered affair closing with 
a key. Key and lock are now heavily rusted 
from long disuse. The front of the box has 
a picture of Our Lad} 7 standing on the deck of 
a ship ; the halo around the head of the figure indicates its saintly character. 

The fronts of the altars were adorned with candles, many of them set 
in candlesticks of solid silver, of great original cost. They were the gifts 
of wealthy worshipers in times gone by. One of the attendants sighingly 
remarked to Fred that people didn't give such magnificent candlesticks 
to the church nowadays. Even the candles seemed to be yellow with 
age, and from the dust collected on them it was evident they were not 
often renewed. 




ALMS-BOX. 



376 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




RELIGIOUS FESTIVAL IN FRONT OF A CHURCH. 



It was formerly the custom to offer the sails of a ship, or some one of 
them, as a votive tribute to Our Lady of the Good Voyage, or to some 
other saint, for protection in time of peril. The following story is given 
by Mr. Ewbank in "Life in Brazil." 

" A lady told me that some years ago she came from Rio Grande in 
one of her father's vessels. The passage was pleasant till within a day's 
sail of the Sugar-Loaf. A small cloud then rose rapidly from the horizon, 
darkness settled over them, the sea began to swell, and other indications 
of a storm so alarmed the captain that he called the men aft, and asked 
them to join him in offering the mainsail to St. Francis de Paula, on con- 
dition of his carrying them safe in. The lady remembers" them standing 
around the commander, and with loud voices calling on the saint, remind- 
ing him of what they had promised, each man confirming the gift so far 
as his proportion of the cost went. 

" On arriving safe in port they paid for a mass, and a few days after- 
wards went to the saint's quarters in procession, barefoot, bearing the sail 



YELLOW FEVER AND OTHER DISEASES. 



377 




through the streets, with the cap- 
tain at their head. The offering was 
deposited in front of the church. 
A fair value was put upon it in 
presence of the priest ; the captain 
laid down the money, and was 
handed a receipt stating the amount 
which the pious commander, An- 
tonia Martinez Bezerra, had paid HI 
into the treasury of the saint — the 
value of his mainsail — in fulfil- lg 
ment of a vow made at the ap- 
proach of a storm (naming the day), 
as an acknowledgment of the saint's M0NK IN A procession. 

miraculous interposition in behalf of himself, his ship, and his crew." 

The same writer says that auctions of ships' sails which have been 
vowed to the saints for interposition are not yet obsolete. The captains 
always buy them in, and frequently the priests have some one to run them 
up to prevent their going too cheaply. 

Our friends visited one of the hospitals, accompanied by a doctor to 
whom they had been introduced. Dr. Bronson was greatly pleased with 
the appearance of the place, and commended the excellence of its arrange- 
ments, its perfect cleanliness, and the evidence of careful training on the 
part of the physicians and nurses. Their escort told them that the cases 
most often under treatment in Rio were diseases of the respiratory organs, 
caused by the dampness of the climate and the prevailing heat. The mean 
annual temperature is 82° Fahrenheit, and the annual rainfall averages 
about forty-six inches. There is hardly a year without yellow fever ; it 
is not usually fatal, but in some seasons there is great mortality from it. 
People from Europe and the northern cities of the United States suffer 
greatly from the heat for months after their arrival, and many of them 
flee to the mountains at the first opportunity. 

From the hospital they drove to the Paseo Publico, a pretty garden 
within the city limits, and much resorted to as a promenade. There are 
gravelled walks shaded by tall palms and other tropical trees, and on the 
water front is a marble pavement, which is crowded on pleasant evenings 
by groups of well-dressed people, listening to the music, and indulging in 
conversation, which is never boisterous. 

Hospitals, asylums, theatres, colleges, academies, schools, and similar 
institutions appropriate to a great city are not lacking in Rio, and their 



378 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



abundance and good management speak well for the administration of the 
government. Beyond the Botofago suburb is the Botanic Garden, which 
no visitor should neglect ; it contains an avenue of palms not surpassed in 
any similar garden in the world, and there are other stately trees which 
tell of the tropical situation. The place is on the plan of the Experi- 
mental Gardens of the English colonies, or the Jardins cPEssai of the 
French, and forcibly reminded our young friends of what they had seen 
in Ceylon, Singapore, Algiers, and other places or countries on the other 
side of the world. 

Most of the trees and plants of the continent of South America are 
cultivated in the Botanic Garden, and there are rare exotics from all parts 
of the globe. Frank espied a grove of cinnamon and clove trees at the 
same moment that Fred called his attention to a collection of tea-plants 
from China and Japan ; Dr. Bronson pointed out a bread-fruit tree side by 
side with cacao and camphor trees, while not far off were maples and pines 
that seemed like old friends from the home of their boyhood. Many trees 
from tropical Asia have found a home in Brazil through the instrumen- 
tality of the Botanic Garden, which has demonstrated their fitness for the 
climate of South America. 




THE AQUEDUCT. 



WATER-SUPPLY OF RIO. 



379 



Nosi.i'ii #4?' *' 



IHra^ 






' > ■ i „ 



1 ; M 






IB 




«:»' 



■ - o 



K : ' Hi 
HI 

HNRp 




■^..? 



i€M 



'ill 





"Water is brought to the city through an aqueduct which was built a 
hundred years ago, and is in good condition ; some of the best modern 
houses are supplied through pipes from the aqueduct, but the greater part 
of the inhabitants rely upon the water-carriers, who are similar to their 



380 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



fellow-craftsmen whom we have already seen at Para. In the early morn- 
ing the streets abound with these men, and with numerous house-servants, 
bearing buckets or small casks of water on their heads. The fountains are 
the great meeting-places for gossipers, as similar places have been since 
the days when the New Testament was written, and sometimes the scenes 
at the fountains of Rio are animated to a degree bordering on commotion. 
Of course, the aqueduct is one of the sights of the city, and the drive 
along the road leading past it was greatly enjoyed by the youths. 

The aqueduct is twelve miles long, and at one place it crosses a valley 
seven hundred and forty feet wide and ninety feet deep, on double arches. 
It is insufficient for the wants of the city, and a new one is likely to be 
completed before long. 

People die in Rio as well as in other cities, and the cemetery is one of 
the institutions of the place. The old cemeteries of Rio adjoin the 
churches ; since 1850 no interments have been allowed in them, and new 
cemeteries have been established in the suburbs. The foreign cemetery 
is at Gamboa, on the shore of the bay. 

" We went to one of the ceme- 
— tt^ripfiKr-- teries," said Frank, "and happened to 

arrive at the entrance chapel just as 
a funeral was going on. The coffin 
was so shallow that the body lying 
within it was distinctly visible above 
the sides as it stood on a stand re- 
sembling a sarcophagus ; the lid is 
shaped like the roof of a house, and 
is made of two sloping boards meeting and forming a ridge. The Catholic 
service for the dead was performed, and then a procession of priests and 
mourners formed, and the coffin was borne from the chapel to the cemetery. 

" This was an enclosure 
with four thick walls, in which 
there were niches for the cof- 
fins, in the same manner as in 
a receiving tomb at Green- 
wood or Mount Auburn. The 
coffin was placed on a stand 
near one of the niches, the 
cover was opened, a handker- 
chief was spread over the face, 
of the corpse, and one of the 




COFFIN CLOSED. 




COFFIN OPENED. 



INTERMENTS IN BRAZIL. 



381 



priests sprinkled the body with holy water, and threw a seoopful of 
quicklime upon it. 

" The other priests and the friends of the deceased followed his exam- 
ple one by one, the sprinkler and scoop being passed to them by a sacristan. 
The lime was thus heaped on until there was at least a bushel of it, com- 
pletely concealing the body; the coffin was slid into its niche; the door 
was closed and locked, the key was delivered to one of the friends of the 




CEMETERY OF THE PAULA CHURCH. 



deceased, and then the attendants proceeded to close the space in front of 
the door with brick and plaster. Orations were pronounced by those who 
chose to speak, and the ceremonies were over. 

" We were told that the bodies do not decay, in the ordinary accepta- 
tion of the word. The flesh is consumed by the quicklime ; at the end of 
two years the niche is opened, the bones are removed and placed in a 
funeral vase, and the niche is then ready for another tenant. No names 
are placed above the niches, but each one is numbered, and a reference to 
the register of the cemetery will show by whom and for how long a par- 
ticular place is occupied. Fees are exacted for the funeral services and 
the rent of the niches ; in fact, there is hardly anything in life or death in 



3S2 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Brazil in winch the CI mrch does not have a place. Christenings, baptisms, 
marriages, death, and burials are all within its supervision." 

Rio de Janeiro lias beautiful surroundings, and there is no prettier spot 
among them than Tijuca, a favorite resort of the residents who seek to 
escape the heat of the citj. Other retreats are Petropolis, Boa Yista, Con- 
stantia, Nova Friborga, and Teresopolis, all of them at elevations of from 
one to three thousand feet above the water front of the city. Boa Yista 
offers a fine view of Rio as it nestles on the shore of the bay; all these 
resorts are reached by carriage-roads, and some by railway, and in what- 
ever way the journey is made it is sure to be enjoyed. 

It was decided to visit Tijuca first of all, and for this purpose a carriage 
was engaged for a drive of less than two hours, over a magnificent road. 
They started late in the afternoon, panting with the heat, but within an 
hour each of the party had donned his overcoat, and found its warmth 
acceptable. Frank thought he could perceive a fall of the temperature 
with every foot of the ascent, and regretted that he had not held a ther- 
mometer in his hand during the journey. 

Tijuca beautifully is situated among the hills and in the midst of dense 




VIEW OF RIO FROM BOA VISTA. 



SUBURBAN RESORTS. 



383 




N- -•; 




HOTEL AT TIJCCA, NEAR RIO. 

forests and groves. There is a waterfall which has a local reputation, 
something like that of Niagara ; it possesses quiet beauty rather than 
grandeur, and is in a charming retreat where the thickness of the foliage 
keeps out the rays of the tropical sun. There are several similar cascades 
in the neighborhood, and the sound of the water pouring among the rocks 
is very gratifying to the ear of one just escaped from the heat of the 
city. 

Foreign residents of Rio have their summer residences at Tijuca, Boa 
Yista, and other places within easy reach of the capital, and a liberal ex- 



384 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

penditure has been made by them in the construction of houses and in 
laying out gardens and lawns. There are several hotels at Tijuca, and the 
stranger can be reasonably sure of satisfactory quarters during his stay. 
Dr. Bronson and his young companions were highly pleased with what 
they found there, and wrote a line of commendation in the register of the 
hotel. 

Frank had wearied of carrying a monkey as part of his baggage, but 
was so much attached to his purchase on the Madeira that he was unwilling 
to part with it except to some one who would treat it well. With some 
trouble to the youth, and more to Manuel, Gypsy had been tenderly cared 
for during all their travels, from the day of her purchase until they reached 
Tijuca, where the tiny animal found a genuine admirer. 

The daughter of the landlord was mourning the loss of a pet which she 
declared was "the very image" of Gypsy. Frank was touched by her 
grief, and with the permission of the proprietor of the establishment the 
ownership of Gypsy was transferred to the child. 

Frank rejoiced that his pet had found a good home ; the girl was 
delighted with the possession of the duplicate of the animal she mourned; 
the father was pleased at the daughter's joy ; and it is to be presumed that 
the monkey was contented to give up travelling, and settle down amid the 
pure air and charming scenery of Tijuca. But our record closes without 
a distinct avowal from Gypsy of the sentiments that swelled her simian 
breast. 

Frank and Fred were up early in the morning after their arrival at 
Tijuca, and ready for a horseback excursion to the top of a neighboring 
mountain. Dr. Bronson concluded to remain at the hotel, and satisfy him- 
self with a promenade among the trees, and so the youths departed with- 
out him. 

They had an exhilarating ride, and came back about ten o'clock full of 
enthusiasm concerning it. There is a carriage-road nearly to the top of 
the mountain, and a bridle-path the rest of the way, so that they had no 
occasion to leave their saddles. At every step they had beautifnlviews of 
mountain and valley, thick forest and open lawn, and there were frequent 
glimpses of the bay and the distant ocean. From the top of the mountain 
the view embraces a considerable extent of country, backed by the higher 
mountains of the Serra, which fills the horizon to the west. 

Breakfast was served soon after their return, and they sat down to the 
meal with good appetites. After breakfast they busied themselves with 
letters and journals, and with the contemplation of a happy family of 
monkeys and other Brazilian animals in a large cage in the court-yard of 



ARMADILLO AND MONKEYS. 



3S5 







CASCADE AT TIJUCA. 



the hotel. One occupant of the cage was an armadillo ; as nature had not 
adapted him for climbing, he wisely remained on the floor and allowed the 
monkeys a monopoly of acrobatic, feats. The upper half of him was pro- 
tected with scales like plates of mail, and when alarmed he closed himself 
together till he resembled a cocoa-nut. At such times there was little else 
than the mail-plates presented to outside view, and he could be tossed 
around with impunity, at least to the tosser. The monkeys had a way of 
rolling him from side to side of the cage, and occasionally they carried 
him to the top and let him fall. This application of the laws of gravita- 
tion did not affect his gravity, and when they wearied of the performance 
he opened out his iron-clad coating and looked as serene as ever. 

Frank wished to know the uses of the armadillo; Manuel told him it 

25 



386 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




THE ARMADILLO. 



was an excellent article of food, and 
was liked by both native and foreign 
residents of Brazil. The youth was 
sceptical until he had the oppor- 
tunity of tasting the new diet, where- 
upon he declared that he would be a 
friend of the armadillo as long as he 
remained in South America. 

From Tijuca they went to Petrop- 
olis, a summer resort higher in the 
mountains and more distant from the 
sea than is the former place. They 
took the carriage-route by the Union and Industry road, a magnificent 
highway, which was built by private enterprise, and is a model of engi- 
neering skill. It penetrates the coffee district back of Rio, and until the 
railway was built from the capital to and beyond the mountains of the 
Serra it had almost a monopoly of transportation. It still has a large busi- 
ness, and the company which controls it runs a line of stages and freight 
wagons, in addition to collecting toils on every private wagon and every 
pack animal that passes over it. 

The scenery along the road, where it crosses the Serra, elicited the 
warmest expressions of admiration from the Doctor and his young com- 
panions. Frank said it was a combination of the Corniche road from Nice 
to Genoa and the mountain journey from Colombo to Kandy, in Ceylon. 
Fred was reminded of the passage of the Alleghenies in Pennsylvania, 
and the Simplon in the Alps, though he missed the snow-clad peaks of the 
latter, and the pines and other northern trees of the former. They unani- 
mously agreed that the engineers who made the road understood their 
work thoroughly, and had constructed a route which would endure through 
everything except the demolition of the mountains by an earthquake, or 
the outbreak of a volcano beneath them. 

They were caught in a storm while ascending the Serra ; one is gener- 
ally caught in a storm in some part of the day in the mountains near Bio. 
The rain falls in such quantities as to drive the wayfarer to the nearest 
shelter, and if he is not quick to reach it lie is drenched to the skin. Rain 
falls every afternoon at Tijuca, and so certainly may it be expected that 
the sojourners so time their excursions that they may be indoors when the 
showers come. The moisture from the ocean is driven against the moun- 
tains, where it is condensed into rain, and by this daily rain the streams 
around Tijuca have an unfailing source of supply. The morning is clear 



AMONG THE MOUNTAINS. 



3S7 



and comfortable; from ten or eleven in the forenoon until three hours after 
the meridian it is too warm to stir about ; and at three o'clock the clouds 
gather, and the rain falls an hour or so later. At sunset the clouds roll 
away, and the night sees the canopy of the heavens glistening with stars. 
The storm on the Serra had the peculiarity of rolling below their route 
and leaving them travelling above the clouds. It began at the summit of 
the mountain and then descended; it wrapped them in its misty folds; 
lightning played about them; they met wagons and pack-mules looming 
suddenly out of the fog as though literally dropping from the clouds; 




ROAD OVER THE SERUA, NEAR PETROPOLIS. 

then the mist became less and less dense; and at length they emerged from 
it into the open sky, and looked upon the storm sweeping over the valley 
below. From the Alto do Serra, the highest point of the road, they had 
a view of immense extent. The mountains rose above and around them ; 
the valley, visible through occasional breaks in the clouds, was a picture 
of serene loveliness, disturbed only by the lightnings and the rain that fell 
copiously. Far off was the Bay of Rio de Janeiro, dotted with its many 
islands, dominated by the mountains that encircle it, and lighted by the 
afternoon sun. 



388 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Petropolis lies in a beautiful valley among the mountains; it was 
founded by Dom Pedro L, who built a palace there and established a col- 
ony of Swiss and Germans, which were imported from Europe at consider- 
able cost to the government. The plan was continued by his son and 
successor, and of late years the place has become a fashionable resort of no 
small importance. It has fifteen thousand inhabitants, and many of the 






£ 



■ - 
W'" 



%5H f._ag 










THE PALACE AT PKTROPOLIS. 



wealthy residents of Rio have their summer homes in Petropolis; the 
imperial palace is an extensive building with beautiful grounds, and the 
situation is certainly an attractive one. 

The German settlers brought the names of their fatherland when they 
came here to live, and also retained many of their home customs. Some 
of them have become wealthy coffee-planters, and a good deal of business 



SWISS AND GERMAN SETTLERS. 



389 



passes through their hands. Many of the hotels are kept by Swiss or 
Germans, and not infrequently the buildings are perfect copies of the 
chalets we have seen in the Alps, or among the lowlands of Switzerland. 
Petropolis has several Lutheran and other churches, and the government 
makes an annual appropriation for schools, in which the children of the 
colonists are educated. There are several hotels, and the stranger can 
pleasantly pass a few days in this attractive spot. 




RELIGIOUS PROCESSION IN BRAZIL. 



390 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

RAILWAYS IN BRAZIL.— COFFEE PLANTATIONS.— MANDIOCA AND ITS CULTURE.— 
TERRIBLE FAMINES.— SLAVERY AND EMANCIPATION. 

THERE are several railways running out of Rio de Janeiro, of which 
the longest and probably the most important is the Dora Pedro 
Seo-undo, so named in honor of the emperor. The first section of the line 
was opened in 1857 ; it was started by a private company, with a govern- 
ment guarantee of seven per cent, interest, but the capital was speedily 
absorbed, owing to the enormous extent of the outlay beyond the estimates. 
Instances of this last have happened in other countries than Brazil, and 
will probably continue to happen until railways are superseded by other 
modes of travel and transportation. The first hundred miles took all the 
capital of the company, and then more money was needed. In 1865 the 
government bought out the stockholders, and since then the railway has 
been run as an imperial concern, like many of the railways on the conti- 
nent of Europe. 

The present length of the railway is about four hundred miles. The 
main line is extended every year or two, and branches are built whenever 
their value as feeders can be demonstrated. The road has been of great 
benefit to the coffee planters in the region it penetrates; in fact, the line 
was built for the transportation of coffee, and the people or goods dependent 
upon it. Nearly every passenger is in some way connected with the coffee 
interest, and nineteen twentieths of the freight has some relation to it. 
Take away the coffee business and the road would require government aid 
to pay the cost of the fuel for its locomotives. At present it returns to 
the o-overnment about five per cent, upon the capital invested in the line, 
without counting the indirect benefits of the development of the country's 
industries. 

The other railways of Brazil are less profitable than the Pedro II., and 
some of them would be given up altogether were it not for the aid re- 
ceived from the government. Freight and passenger tariffs are very high, 
and the limited amount of business renders it impossible to fix low rates. 



RAILWAY CHARGES IN BRAZIL. 



391 




NEGRO HCT NEAR THE RAILWAY. 



The passenger fares are from four to five cents a mile, first class, and about 
half these figures for second class, while excursion tickets, limited in time, 
and not transferable, are sold at twenty-five per cent, discount from the 
double tariff. Every pound of baggage beyond that carried in the trav- 
eller's hand is charged extra, and a fair-sized trunk costs as much as a pas- 
senger's ticket. Live-stock may be said to "ride their heads off " if carried 
by railway in Brazil, and for this reason horses, oxen, cows, and goats are 
rarely shipped by the trains. 

The freight on a sack of coffee (133 pounds) is about one cent a mile ; 
coffee coming from the end of the Dom Pedro railway must pay four 
dollars a sack, which is about one third of its value, when delivered in Rio. 
From Rio to New York the freight rarely exceeds sixty cents a sack, and 



392 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



is often no more than twenty-five. Fifty miles of railway transportation 
in Brazil costs more than live thousand two hundred miles on the ocean. 
A few of the planters send their coffee to market by mule trains, and 
say it is cheaper than by railway, and there have been several schemes pro- 
posed for organizing a system of mule transportation on a large scale, in 
the hope of making a material saving of money. Of course, the govern- 
ment would not favor such an enterprise ; and as it could not be extensively 
conducted without imperial sanction, the experiment is not likely to be 
tried. 




ENTRANCE TO A COFFEE PLANTATION. 



Our travelling trio made a journey over the great railway line, and had 
an interesting ride. The engineering was found worthy of the praise that 
has been given by others; the passage of the mountains near Rio pre- 
sented many obstacles which were successfully met by the English' and 
American builders of the road. The line was begun by Englishmen, but 
since the first section was opened the work has been in charge of engineers 
from the United States. 

Frank and Fred were disappointed in the amount of business over the 
road, as they had been told it drained a large district which produced coffee 
in abundance. The Doctor came to their relief with the following explana- 
tion •. 

"You must bear in mind," said he, "that there is a vast difference in 
the producing power of land, according to what is raised upon it. You can- 
not raise more than five hundred pounds of coffee from an acre of ground 



COFFEE PLANTATIONS. 393 

under the best conditions, while you can get five or ten times that weight 
in corn or wheat, especially the former. One gentleman who has studied 
the subject (Mr. Herbert H. Smith) says, the coffee district drained by the 
Dom Pedro railway and another line near it does not give one thirtieth as 
much freight as would come from the same area of ground in the western 
states of North America. The large plantations are very widely scattered, 
and their products do not afford sufficient business for the railways; much 
of the land held by the planters is uncultivated, and, besides, their laborers 
are mostly slaves, or people who have very few wants beyond what the 
country around them will meet. 

" A coffee plantation requires nothing but the machinery for tilling the 
land and preparing the coffee for market, the furniture, and some pro- 
visions for the house of the owner, and possibly a few bales of cloth for 
the garments of the slaves. The food of the negroes is grown on the place, 
their houses are built of bamboos, also grown there, and they raise enough 
rnandioca and corn for their food. Those who have looked carefully into 
this matter say that long lines of railway in Brazil could, not pay their 
running expenses if they were built for nothing. There have been several 
schemes for extending railways into the Matto Grosso province; at the 
present rate of freight it would cost eight dollars to bring a sack of coffee 
to Rio, which would be two-thirds of its value. The product of the land 
would not pay the cost of exporting it to a market." 

" But why don't they raise corn or wheat instead of coffee ?" one of the 
youths asked. 

"They have talked of doing so," the Doctor answered, "and some parts 
of the interior provinces are well adapted to the culture of our American 
staples. But they have not the right kind of a population for such work, 
and even if they had it, the cost of bringing grain or flour to Rio would 
be greater at the present railway tariffs than transporting it from the 
United States. I am told it has been carefully figured out that wheat from 
Wisconsin or Minnesota could be laid down in Rio cheaper than wheat 
from the end of the Dom Pedro railway. 

"While we are on the subject of railways," the Doctor continued, "you 
may be interested in knowing that Brazil owes some of her railway lines 
to a calamity." 

" To a calamity ! how can that be ?" 

" In the past hundred years," Dr. Bronson explained, " there have been 
several famines in some of the interior and coast districts, particularly in 
the Ceara. One of the worst began in 1790; it lasted three or four years, 
and when it ended the province of the Ceara was nearly depopulated. 



394 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




VICTIMS OF THE FAMINE. 



Another followed in 1824-25, and another in 1844-45, the latter being less 
severe than its predecessor. 

" The next, and thus far the most terrible, secca or famine was in 1877- 
78. There was an excess of rain in 1875 and 1876 which caused great 
losses in consequence of the floods. Lands could not be tilled, as they were 
buried in water, and many cattle on the estates were drowned. 

"The excess of rain was followed by a drought that dried up the 
streams and withered the grass and trees. The seed placed in the ground 
did not sprout, as there was no moisture to give it life, and month after 
month passed without rain. All this time the tropical sun poured its heat 
over the land, and you can easily imagine how it could change the rich 
forest into a desert of withered and blasted trunks, and the open country 
to a desert. 

" The people left the plantations and flocked to the villages, many of 
them dying of hunger on the way. Thousands perished at their homes; 
they remained there hoping for rain until too weak and famished to move. 
As long as the cattle lasted there was no hunger ; the herdsmen killed the 
animals for their hides, and meat was abundant for all who would come 
and take it. Of course this could not last long, and when the herds were 
killed the people began to perish of starvation. 

"In a little while all the produce of the country was gone, and an ap- 
peal came to the government for aid. There was little law and order in 
the midst of the famine, and many people were killed in the struggle for 
existence; thieves were numerous, and desperate men wandered about 
taking food wherever they could find it ; when they met the trains of pro- 



FAMINE IN BRAZIL. 



395 



visions going to the relief of the famished district they exercised the right 
of might, and even killed the horses and mules that were laden with food. 

" When the horrors of the famine became known in the cities of Brazil 
an appropriation was voted by the government for the relief of the suffeiv 
ers. Fairs were held,-subscriptions raised, and a large amount of money was 
obtained, which went for supplying food to the survivors. The govern- 
ment sent engineers to lay out lines of railway and employ the people; 
in this way they obtained relief, and the country was provided with iron 
roads that will develop the country and be of practical use in transporting 
provisions in case of another drought. 

" That was the way the calamity helped the building of railways," said 
the Doctor, "just as famines have led to similar public works in India and 
other countries. In the beginning of the distress the government and the 
public contributions supplied food to the people free of charge ; the result 
was that they soon looked upon it as their right, and refused work when it 
was offered. When the government began operations on the railways it 
was ordered that no one who declined to work should receive either money 
or rations, and in this way the indolent were compelled to do something." 

Frank asked what was the mortality in consequence of this famine? 




DYING FOR LACK OF FOOD. 



396 



THE BOY TRAVELLEKS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" According to the figures at my command," said the Doctor, " there 
were in 1876 about nine hundred thousand inhabitants in Ceara. In 1877 
and 1878 five hundred thousand people died, or more than half the whole 
population !" 

"Did they all die of famine?" 

"Not all ; but the greater part of the mortality was the result of the 
famine. Fifty thousand died of starvation and disease in 1877, and about 
two hundred thousand in the first four months of 1878. Then small-pox, 
fevers, and other diseases appeared, and numbered their victims by many 
thousands, in addition to those who perished directly for want of food in 
the remaining months of the second year. Many persons move'd away to 
other provinces and will not return to Ceara ; the periodic occurrence of 
droughts will make life there very uncertain, and the probabilities are that 
it will never be prosperous. 

"But enough of this sad subject," said the Doctor, with a sigh ; "let 
us talk of something else." His suggestion was adopted, and Fred called 
attention to a patch of mandioca near the station where the train was 
coming to a halt. 




A TROPICAL RAILWAY STATION. 



MANDIOCA AND ITS PREPARATION. 



397 



" That is one of the staples of Brazil," said Dr. Bronson, " and it 
figures in her exports in the shape of tapioca. Mandioca is as necessary 
to the native of Brazil as the potato to the Irishman, or beef to the Eng- 
lishman ; mandioca flour, in this country, fills the place occupied by wheat 
flour or corn meal among ourselves." 

They had repeatedly seen mandioca growing in patches near the villages, 
and in their journey down the Madeira and Amazon they had found it an 
excellent article of food. Ascertaining that the train would be nearly half 
an hour at the station, they strolled over to the little garden and learned 
how mandioca is cultivated. 

" The plant has several names," said the Doctor, as they were walking 
to the garden ; " the one most generally used is mandioca, but it is also 
called manioc, mandioc, yucca, and cassava, while its scientific appellation 
is Jatropha manihot. It is a native of South America, but has been intro- 
duced into Africa and other tropical countries, where it is extensively 
cultivated. There are two kinds of the plant ; one is called the sweet cas- 
sava or sweet yucca, and its roots are eaten raw, but are more commonly 
roasted or boiled, and they are 
as nutritions as their South 
American brother, the pota- 
to. The other, which pro- 
duces the tapioca of com- 
merce and the mandioca flour 
of South America, contains 
a poison so deadly that thir- 
ty-five drops of it were suffi- 
cient to kill in six minutes 
a negro convicted of mur- 
der." 

" And this poisonous plant 
is used as an artjcle of food ?" 
Fred asked, in astonishment. 

" Yes. The juice contains 
hydrocyanic acid ; but it is 
removed by pressure and by 
the action of heat, so that the 
dried flour is perfectly harm- 
less. It is still a mystery how 
the unlettered Indians learned 
the virtues of the plant, which 




MANDIOCA PLANT. 



39S 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



was in universal use when the Spaniards and Portuguese first came 
here. 

" The Indians have a pretty fable concerning the origin of mandioca," 
the Doctor continued. " They say that long ago, in one of their tribes, a 
child was born which walked and talked precociously. It was named 
Mani, and died when it was only a year old. It was buried in the house 
where it died, according to the custom of the tribe ; the roof of the build- 
ing was removed, and the grave was watered daily. An unknown plant 
sprung from the grave ; and when it ripened the earth cracked open and 
revealed the root. The Indians ate this root, and thus learned the uses of 
mandioca. Believing it to be the body of Mani, they gave it the name 
Hani-oca, the house of Mani." 

" A very pretty story, indeed," said Frank. " I will make a sketch of 
the plant in remembrance of it." 

By this time they had reached the garden, and Frank busied himself 
with his pencil, while Fred made note of the appearance of the bush, 
which was about five feet high, and had long, pointed leaves at the ex- 
tremity of the branches. 
^ One of the plants was dug 

from the ground in their pres- 
ence ; the roots were in a cluster, 
and resembled large turnips, and 
the aofcrrei>'ate weight of the half- 
dozen roots that were taken out 
was from twenty -five to thirty 
pounds. In a shed close by a 
native was preparing the sub- 
stance for use ; the process may 
be thus described : 

The roots are washed, and 
then scraped, with a shell or 
knife, into a line pulp. This 
pulp is placed in a loosel} T -woven 
bag of palm-fibre, which is sus- 
pended from a pole ; a weight at 
the lower end of the bag brings a 
pressure upon the pulp, by which 
the juice is forced out. While 
the substance is still damp it is 
spread on metal plates, and dried 




PLANTATION SEGR.O. 



EXTINCTION OF SLAVERY. 



399 



over a fire; and great care must be taken to drive off every drop of the 
poisonous juice. During the drying it is stirred and broken into coarse 
grains, and this forms the farina, or meal of mandioca. 

The poisonous juice is placed in a vat, where it deposits a fine sedi- 
ment after standing a few hours. This sediment is the tapioca which is 
extensively used in Europe and America for the manufacture of puddings 
and other articles of food. Arrow-root is another form of the same sub- 
stance. 

The whistle recalled them, and they returned to the train. From tap- 
ioca the conversation turned to slavery ; a very natural turn, as a good deal 
of the tapioca which comes from Brazil is grown by slave labor. 

" Slavery is in process of extinction here," said the Doctor, " as a sys- 
tem of gradual emancipation was adopted in 1871. There will be noth- 
ing left of the institution after the year 1892. Many slaves have been 
freed already, and it is thought that the northern provinces of Brazil will 
anticipate the enforcement of the law, and give freedom to everybody 
before that date. Most of the slaves are on the plantations in the south- 
ern part of the empire ; some of the coffee-carriers in Bio are still held in 
bondage, and pay their masters a certain amount daily for their time. All 
they earn beyond that they retain for themselves." 

"How does the system of gradual emancipation affect the slaves at the 
present time?" one of the youths inquired. 

"It affects them unfavorably," was the reply, "as you can readily see. 
If a man has a lifelong interest in his slaves, he is apt to treat them well 
out of regard to his own pocket, by making them useful as long as he can. 
But if they are to be free in a given 
number of years, he is tempted to get 
as much work from them as possible 
during that time, and leave them bro- 
ken down and quite worn out at the 
end. Sell a yoke of oxen to a man, 
and he will work them much less than 
if he had hired them for a year, and 
was not bound to return them in good 
condition, would he not? This is ex- 
actly the position of the slaveholder 
in Brazil ; there are many humane 
masters who treat their slaves well, 

but, unhappily, they are in the minority. These people have been accus- 
tomed to regard the negroes as their property, and they use them as they 




PL'NISHMEXT. 



400 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



would property of any other kind. Whether the slaves will be well or 
harshly used depends very much upon the temperaments of their owners. 




IN THE FIELDS. 



" On a coffee or sugar plantation the slaves are required to work about 
seventeen hours out of the twenty-four. Some masters are satisfied with 
fifteen or sixteen hours, and others exact eighteen hours at least. Here is 

the ordinary routine : 

" The slaves are called to work at four 
o'clock in the morning; coffee is given to 
them at six, and their breakfast at nine in 
the forenoon. The breakfast consists of dried 
beef cooked with mandioca-meal and beans, 
together with corn-bread ; and it is eaten in 
the field, in an intermission of not more than 
fifteen minutes. At noon they have a small 
drink of rum, and at four in the afternoon 
they have a dinner which is exactly like the 
breakfast, and eaten in the same way and 
time. At seven o'clock they leave their field- 
work, and go to the mill or the household 

SLATES WITH COLLARS. ., . *" , , , , ,, 1 1 J '„ 

until nine o clock, when they are locked in 
their quarters, and can sleep until roused for the next day's toil." 




TREATMENT OF SLAVES. 



401 




SLAVE WITH MASK. 



"But do they have no holidays?" 
"Yes, they have a holiday on Sun- 
day, but it simply amounts to a cessa- 
tion of labor for three or four hours; in 
busy seasons the Sunday's rest is re- 
duced to one or two hours, and with 
many masters to nothing at all. They 
have no allowance of Christmas holi- 
days, as was the custom in the United 
States in the slavery days, and in many 
respects the life of the Brazilian slaves 
is harder than was that of the slaves 
in most of the Southern States of North 
America before the emancipation. 

"But, with all the toil of the Brazilian plantations, the life of the 
slave is a great improvement upon what it was twenty or more years ago. 

The blacksmiths' shops in Bio used to expose 
slave-shackles for sale as freely as those of our 
own country exhibit horseshoes, and the de- 
mand for these things was not small. There 
were collars to be locked around the neck, 
made of round iron an inch in diameter, and 
provided with prongs to prevent the un- 
fortunate wearer from turning his head to 
either side ; there were masks, through which 
no food or drink could be taken ; shackles for fastening the ankles to- 
gether, or for binding the wrists to the ankles; chains to be fastened 
to the waist or ankles, and attached to logs of wood, which the wearer 
w 7 as obliged to drag around wherever he moved ; and numberless other 
devices of cruelty. 

" A picture of slavery, drawn by an English 
clergyman in British Guiana before England 
had freed the slaves in her colonies, will apply 
to Brazil as it was twenty years ago, and as it 
may now be on some of the country plantations. 
Remember, it is a picture of English slavery as 
it existed in an English colony. shackles. 

"'The cruelty of the lash, which was often steeped in brine, or pickle 
and pepper, is something very dreadful to think of. Twenty-five was the 
number of lashes laid on the bare back of the slave when a dry leaf or 

26 




MASK. 




402 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



piece of the boll was found in the cotton, or a branch was broken in the 
field ; fifty for all offences of the next grade; a hundred for standing idle 
in the field ; from a hundred and fifty to two hundred for quarrelling 
with fellow- slaves ; and five hundred, laid on with the greatest possible 
severity, for any attempt to run away or escape from an estate or planta- 
tion. The overseers and gang- drivers made the slaves work with the 
greatest possible rigor, and their lives bitter with hard bondage. Up to 
the day before the slaves were emancipated, or proclaimed free, the lash 
was freely used on a plantation near Georgetown, and on the morning of 
the emancipation several freed slaves walked up to their overseer and 
asked if they were not to be whipped for obtaining their freedom.'* 

"Emancipation in Brazil is largely due to the humanity of the present 
emperor," continued the Doctor. "He urged the suppression of the slave- 
trade, and was considerably in advance of his cabinet on the subject. 
When this was accomplished, he presented plans for the emancipation of 
the negroes held in bondage. He repeatedly sent messages to the Brazil- 
ian parliament on the subject. Progress in the movement was slow, as 

four fifths of the members of that 
body were slave-owners, and more 
than half of them planters. But he 
never gave up the struggle, and in 
1871 the law was passed. He had 
set the example by freeing his own 
slaves, and inducing the members 
of his family and many wealthy 
citizens to do the same. Slaves were 
allowed to purchase their own free- 
dom, and in other ways the humane 
movement was accelerated. In 1S55 
there were, in round figures, three 
million slaves in Brazil. Twenty 
years later the number had been re- 
duced nearly one half, and it has 
been further diminished since that 
time. Year by year the number of 
bondmen is growing less, and it is 
by no means impossible that, when the day comes for the final proclama- 
tion of freedom, there will be no one to set free." 




HOUSEHOLD SERVANT. 



* " British Guiana," by Rev. H. V. P. Bronkhurst. 



HOPE FOR THE FUTURE. 



403 



" Let us hope it will be so," said both our young friends. Every reader 
of this narrative will echo the sentiment, and give all honor to Dom Pedro 
II., the enlightened Emperor of Brazil. 



\,W 




SLAVES GATHERING SUGAR-CANE. 



404 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XXIY. 

RETURN TO THE CAPITAL.— INTRUDO SPORTS.— MUSEUM AT RIO.— MONTEVIDEO 
AND BUENOS AYRES. — THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. — ASCENDING THE RIVER 
PLATE. 

OUR friends remained several days among the coffee and sugar planters 
to whom they had letters of introduction, and then returned to 
Rio. They found the planters exceedingly hospitable, and it was no easy 
matter to bring their visit to an end. They were pressed to remain in- 
definitely, and Frank and Fred were half inclined to accept the invitation, 

and become growers of 
Brazilian staples, but when 
they reflected what a life 
of isolation they would be 
compelled to lead they 
abandoned the idea, and 
were ready to depart at 
the appointed time. 

" It is no wonder," 
said Fred, when they left 
the house of Seiior J , 



"that he urged us to stay 
longer. I know we must 
make allowances for Span- 
ish and Portuguese polite- 
ness, but in this case it 
was not altogether polite- 
ness, but a genuine desire 
for society. Think what 
it must be to be cooped up in this plantation with no one but your family 
and the servants for weeks together. If I were he I should hail with 
delight the arrival of an intelligent visitor, and would shed genuine tears 
when he announced his intention to move on." 

Frank shared the opinion of his cousin, and the youths resolved that 
they would not entertain the thought of becoming Brazilian planters. 




AT HOME WITH THE SDGAR-CANE. 



SPORTS OF INTRUDO TIMES. 405 

Their return to the capital was timed to correspond very nearly 
with the departure of a steamer for the south. They had a day to 
spare, and devoted it to a few farewell calls, and a visit to the museum, 
to inspect some of its antiquities and other curiosities. They had already 
seen the collection, but their first visit was unsatisfactory, as it was on 
a day when the place was altogether too crowded for comfort in sight- 
seeing. 

As they came out of the hotel on their way to the museum several 
urchins in the street were pelting each other with balls filled with water, 
one of which accidentally struck against Frank. The youth frowned and 
then laughed; for the moment he could not understand the situation, but 
suddenly remembered that it was "Intrudo Day." 

The youths retreated to the balcony, and for half an hour watched the 
performance in the street. They were joined by the Doctor and a gen- 
tleman with whom they had become acquainted ; the latter explained the 
Intrudo, which corresponds to the carnival of Italy in some respects, but 
differs widety from it in others. 

" The Intrudo festival begins on the Sunday previous to Ash Wednes- 
day," said their informant, " and lasts three days ; the carnival has special 
reference to abstinence from eating flesh, but the Intrudo has no such 
significance. In the carnival of Naples and other Italian cities, dust, 
flowers, confectionery and its counterfeits, are the missiles used in the 
mimic combats, while the Intrudo is devoted to throwing balls filled with 
water, emptying small bags of flour and starch, and to playing jokes more 
or less practical in their nature. 

" As you are strangers in the hotel you are exempted from the tricks 
connected with the Intrudo, but you must expect an occasional attention 
of the kind you have already experienced. When I rose this morning 
I found that one leg of my trousers had been sewn up near the bottom, 
and on placing my foot inside in the effort to dress myself half a dozen 
Intrudo balls were crushed. Fortunately I had some clothing in a trunk 
of which I alone held the key, and the trunk was in a locked closet in 
sole charge of my butler. All clothing that was accessible had been 
removed ; it was probably done while I was busy late the previous even- 
ing in despoiling the apartment of a friend. 

" Of the two boiled eges I had for breakfast one was raw and the 
other hard enough to be used as a bullet ; my tea was sweetened with 
salt; slices of boiled tongue were really pieces of soaked leather; and the 
cold chicken had evidently been run through a sewing machine, to judge 
by the number of threads in it. Pranks had been played with every- 



406 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



thing on the table ; while you were laughing at the perplexities of your 
neighbor you found yourself the victim of a kindred deception. 

" Ladies are the greatest lovers of the Intrudo sports, and if you have 

any lady acquaintances here 
I warn you not to make 
any formal calls on them 
to-day, if you wish to pre- 
serve your dignity un- 
ruffled. It is a proverb 
here that 'Intrudo lies are 
no sin ;' and while a lady is 
inviting a friend to a chair, 
and promising not to molest 
him in any way, she is get- 
ting ready to crush an In- 
trudo ball in his neck, or 
upon his shoulder, or ar- 
ranging for him to sit down 
upon a dozen of them." 

The gentleman sent a 
servant for some Intrudo 
balls and bottles, and gave 
the youths an opportunity 
to examine them. They 
were composed of wax thin 
enough to be easily broken 
in the hand or when strik- 
ing an object a few feet 
away, and were filled with 
scented water. " They were 
formerly," said their infor- 
mant, " made much larger 
than at present, and im- 
mense quantities were sold 
and used. At present they 
are small. The throwing of 
Intrudo balls in the streets 
is forbidden by the police, but occasionally the unruly urchins will em- 
brace the opportunity to use them on each other, as you have already 
discovered. In many houses the balls are filled with flour instead of 




INTRUDO SPORTS THIRTY YEARS AGO. 



HOW THE NEGROES AMUSE THEMSELVES. 



407 



mmm, 




=-'~voti,,its-eM''i 



INTRUDO BALLS AND BOTTLES. 



water, and the sport of the season resembles that of Naples and Venice. 
Thirty years ago every negro boy on the street was armed with a large 
'squirt-gnn,' which he used freely upon those of his own color; white 
people were at liberty to pelt any one of their complexion, and the sport 
became so riotous that its suppression was a public necessity." 

Among the curiosities in the museum they found a line collection of 
living and stuffed specimens of the wild animals of Brazil. It included 
several jaguars and other carnivora from the interior provinces; a large 
cage filled with monkeys of every sort ; another of snakes, among which 
was an anaconda seventeen feet long — at least, so said the attendant, and 
they were willing to take his word for it without personally measuring 
the reptile. There were stuffed humming-birds of many kinds; eagles, 
and their kindred, the vulture and condor; beautiful specimens of the 
ibis, which recalled the sacred bird of Egypt; together with many other 
winged creatures that have no names in our vocabulary. One of the con- 
dors had been recently used in a bull-baiting; the attendant narrated, 
with great animation, 
how the bird had been 
chained to the back of a 
young bull, and then 
turned into a ring. Bird 
and beast were maddened 
by the explosion of fire- 
works fastened to the ani- 




WOODEN CANNON. 



408 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




THE CONDOR AND THE BULL. 



raal's head ; in his efforts to escape the condor tore great gashes in the 
flesh of his companion in misfortune. It is pleasant to record that 
these amusements are every j-ear less and less appreciated in South 
America, and it is to be hoped the day is not far distant when they will 
cease altogether. 

There was a wooden cannon which was captured from the rebels in 
one of the northern provinces in the last revolution. It was made of 
slabs of wood bound together with hoops of iron, and appeared to have 
been used ; it was a type of the earliest known caunon, and carried the 
thoughts of the spectators back to the days when artillery was first used 
on the battlefield. Horrible in appearance were embalmed heads from 
the country of the Tapajos; Dr. Bronson ex- 
plained that this tribe used to preserve the heads 
of their enemies, and wear them on their necks as 
trophies of their valor. A string through the 
mouth was used for suspending such a prize ; the 
eyes were filled with wax and cement, and the 
whole face was built out with this material, to 
make it as lifelike as possible. On the top of the 
head was a tuft of hair, and the positions of the 
ears were indicated by rosettes. 

Close to these preserved heads was a case 




EMBALMED HEAD. 



BRAZILIAN ANTIQUITIES. 



409 




ANCIENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



containing musical instruments re- 
sembling Antes and horns, and said 
to be of great antiquity ; they were 
from the upper part of the Amazon 
Yalley, and coeval with the incas of 
Peru. One trumpet attracted the 
attention of the youths; it was about 
three feet long, tapering regularly 
from end to end, and provided at the 
larger extremity with a fringe of 
feathers, which modulated the sound 
when the instrument was used. The 

attendant asked Frank and Fred to guess what it was made of; they 
named everything they could think of, but without success, and were 
finally told it was an alligator's tail ! 

There were ancient combs, household utensils, and other things in the 

collection ; Frank made a sketch of a 
comb which consisted of thin strips of 
a very hard wood set in transverse bars, 
and firmly bound with fine threads of 
a fibre resembling silk. One edge of 
the comb was straight, and the other 
curved ; between the transverse strips 
that held the teeth in place, the flat 
space was covered with a closely woven 
mass of binding material, and a careful 
inspection showed the tracery of fig- 
ures so delicate as to require very strong eyesight on the part of the op- 
erator. 

Among the specimens of pottery was a basin about eighteen inches in 
diameter, and perfectly preserved. The outside was quite plain, and some- 
what blackened by smoke, but the inside was decorated with a great va- 
riety of lines that resembled serpents twisted together; the glazing was 
broken in many places, and did not seem to be well put on, while the 
shape of the basin indicated that 
it was made without the assist- 
ance of the potter's wheel. 

Space will not permit us to | 
name all the objects which oc- t 
cupied the time of the youths in 




ANCIENT COMB. 




BRAZILIAN BASIN. 



410 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



,' 



Frank 
ulation 



their visit to the museum ; we will 
drop, the basin, at the risk of break- 
ing it, and accompany the party 
on board the steamer which is to 
carry them southward. 

They left the bay of Rio Ja- 
neiro as they had entered it, pass- 
ing near the base of the Sugar- 
Loaf, and keeping their eyes fixed 
on its lofty peak until it dwindled 
to a mere point on the horizon. 
Southward and a little to the west- 
ward they took their course, and 
six days after leaving Rio were in 
front of Montevideo, the capital of 
< Uruguay. 

a They found it a clean and well- 

B built city, consisting largely of flat- 
§ roofed houses a single story in 
g height, though there were many 
P modern structures of two or three 
§ stories. It is on a point of land 
extending into a bay which affords 
shelter from all winds except the 
southwest ; the harbor is well pro- 
vided with docks and other con- 
1 1 I , |) , veniences for shipping purposes, 

and the city has half a dozen street 
91' ! llJflllllllllllllillllf !!!i'' railways, is lighted with gas, and 

has several steam railways into the 
interior of Uruguay. The business 
of the place is principally in the 
exportation of hides, wool, horse- 
hair, and other products of Uruguay 
and the surrounding country, and 
the importation of machinery, lum- 
ber, and numerous articles which 
may be classified as "assorted goods." 
investigated the statistics, and found that Montevideo has a pop- 
of more than one hundred thousand, while Uruguay, of which 



■vv" 



AT THE MOUTH OF THE LA PLATA. 



411 



it is the capital, has half a million inhabitants, and an area of seventy 
thousand square miles. The party had about live hours on shore at 
Montevideo, and then returned to the steamer to cross the mouth of 
the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Ayres, one hundred and thirty miles 
distant. From the anchorage, about six miles from the city, they were 
taken ashore in a steam tender which came puffing out to meet them. 

They landed with all their baggage, and after a delay in port of some 
twenty hours the steamer proceeded to the Strait of Magellan and the 
Pacific Ocean. In a subsequent chapter we will know more about her 
course. Most of the foreign steamers going southward from Montevideo 
do not visit Buenos Ayres, but go direct to the strait without stopping. 




VIEW IN THE CAPITAL OP URUGUAY, 



Twice as large as Montevideo, and with many evidences of wealth and 
prosperity, Buenos Ayres impressed our young friends as second only to 
Bio Janeiro among the cities of the South American continent, as far as 
they had seen them. Its streets are parallel to each other ; it contains 
many fine buildings, both public and private ; has ten daily newspapers 
in Spanish, French, English, German, and Italian, besides several weekly 
or monthly publications; can boast of banks, theatres, hospitals, churches, 
convents, public libraries, museums, and the like ; has several good hotels ; 
and is, in fact, a comfortable place to be in. So thought our friends as 
they settled in their hotel and afterwards took a stroll through one of 
the principal streets. 



412 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



" If only Montevideo had a country back of it like that which feeds 
Buenos Ayres it would get the most of the business at the mouth of the 
River Plate. Montevideo has a good harbor and Buenos Ayres a poor 
one; the former has safe anchorage and is well sheltered, while the latter 
is shallow, and open to half the winds that blow. In the easterly gales 
the estuary at Buenos Ayres is apt to overflow its banks, and when there 
is a strong wind from the west the water is so blown out that ships of 
deep draught have to change their moorings. But Montevideo has no im- 
portant country behind it, while Buenos Ayres sweeps all. the way west- 
ward to the Andes, south to Patagonia, and north into Paraguay." 

So spoke the captain of the steamer as they were crossing the broad 
estuary of the La Plata. As they looked on the evidences of prosperity 
in Buenos Ayres, and learned that the city had grown up under many 
disadvantages, they expressed their admiration for the energy and enter- 
prise of its merchants in no stinted terms. 

Only small vessels can come close to the water-front of the city ; ships 
drawing more than eighteen feet must anchor several miles out, and all 
freight and passengers come to the shore in lighters. Two piers, each 
fifteen hundred feet long, have been built, for the use of small steamers 




OX-CART OF BUENOS AYRES. 



LANDING UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



413 



and other boats of light draught ; before these piers were constructed 
it was necessary to land in flat -bottomed boats, or in carts with wheels 
ten or twelve feet in diameter, which were pushed out into the water, 
where they could receive their loads. Even at present the carts must 
be used occasional^, when an extremely low tide prevents boats from 
reaching the piers. Frank and Fred were reminded of the harbor of 
Madras, and their adventures in going ashore there in a masullah boat ; 
on the whole they thought the cart preferable to the masullah boat, but 
would risk a brief delay rather than intrust themselves to it if a gale hap- 
pened to be blowing. 




SOLDIERS OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



Water for drinking purposes was formerly as scarce in the city as that 
for anchoring ships in front of it. Down to a few years ago the inhabi- 
tants depended upon wells within the city limits, and carts which brought 
water from the river, where it was not affected by the tide from the 
sea. The well water was brackish and hardly drinkable, while the river 
water was sold at a high price. Now the city has been provided with 
waterworks and the old troubles have ceased. The drainage has been im- 
proved, and altogether it is a cleanly place, though less so than Monte- 



414 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



video. The latter owes its name to the mountain or hill on which it is 
partly built, and from which there is a fine view; while the former is 
named for its " good air." It is certainly a healthy place, according to 
the reports of residents, though it is liable to sudden changes of tempera- 
ture. The thermometer rarely exceeds ninety degrees or descends below 
eighteen degrees ; yellow fever comes occasionally, but not often, and 
there are no other epidemics. 

Two days in Buenos Ay res were sufficient to exhaust the characteristic 
features of the place, and give the youths an insight into the history of 
the country of which it was the seaport. We will again exercise our 
privilege of peeping into Fred's note-book for information which will in- 
terest our readers. 

"Buenos Ay res," the record says, "is the capital of the province of 
the same name, and also of the Argentine Republic, or Argentine Con- 
federation, of which the province forms a part. The country has been 
through a series of wars which it is not necessary to describe here ; from 
present indications it has a destiny of peace before it, though a revolution 
may break out at any moment. The Argentine Confederation includes 




A GCACIIO. 



A MIXED POPULATION. 



415 




A GUACHO ON HORSEBACK. 



fourteen provinces ; it has a president, who is elected for six years, a cabi- 
net of five ministers, a congress of two houses, a national debt, an army 
and a navy, together with other paraphernalia of government. It has two 
thousand miles of railway, and another thousand is in process of building ; 
it has frequent disputes with Chili as to its rights in Patagonia; a. popula- 
tion of about two millions ; and herds of cattle, sheep, and horses too 
large for careful enumeration. 

" Of late years it has encouraged emigration from Europe, and there 
are probably half a million people of European birth now living in the 
country. One fourth of these are Italians, and the rest are Spaniards, 
Irish, English and Scotch, Germans, Portuguese, and a few other nation- 
alities ; in the province of Buenos Ayres there are seventy thousand 
Italians, forty thousand of whom are in the city of that name. At every 
step we hear the Italian language spoken, and the signs over the shop 
doors bear more Italian than Spanish names. The Spaniards were the 
original settlers of the country, but their identity is rapidly disappearing 
under the influx of immigration from Europe. 

" It is interesting to note the occupations of the various nationalities 
as they settle in this new country. The descendants of the original con- 
querors are generally known as Guachos, or ' countrymen ;' they rarely 



410 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

live in the cities, preferring the wild life of the interior, where they dwell 
in rude huts, subsist on the flesh of cattle or wild game, and have an ex- 
istence little better than semi-civilized. They are the finest horsemen in 
the world, if half the stories we hear of them are true, and a group of 
guachos ought to put to shame the best circus troupe that was ever or- 
ganized. 

" Apropos of this, I am told that a circus company came to Buenos 
Ayres, years ago, when the place was the resort of the guachos, and gave 
a performance. Just as the show ended a group of guachos rode into 
the ring and completely outdid the circus men in every one of their 
tricks, besides several that were not clown in the bills. The circus com- 
pany sailed away for Valparaiso, but it had no better luck there than at 
Buenos Ayres. The Chilians are splendid horsemen, and defeated the - 
professional performers at their own game. It was probably the same 
company we heard about at Lima. 

" The Italian emigrants engage in building houses and in raising 
vegetables in the market-gardens surrounding the principal cities; those 
from Genoa have almost a monopoly of the boating business on the 
rivers, and they man the coasting ships and other craft. The Catalo- 
nian Spaniards are mostly wine - merchants ; the Andalusians are shop- 
keepers and cigar dealers; and the Galicians are employed as domestics, 
porters, watchmen, and railway servants of the lower grades. Emigrants 
from the Basque provinces are the most numerous, next to the Italians, 
and their employments are similar to those of the Galicians, in addition 
to bricklaying, sheep-tending, and farm -work in general. The Irish are 
the sheep-farmers of the country, and it is said there are thirty millions 
of sheep in the Argentine Republic owned by Irish settlers. The Eng- 
lish, Scotch, and Germans are generally occupied with commerce, though 
some of them have gone into cattle and sheep farming, like the Irish; the 
French are commercially inclined, some branches of trade being almost 
monopolized by them, and they assimilate with the native Argentines 
more readily than do the English and Germans. The aboriginal Arau- 
canians generally retain their independence, leading a nomadic life, and 
keeping large herds of cattle and horses, which furnish their subsistence. 

" There you have a picture of the population, which is as heterogene- 
ous as that of the United States of North America, and has good promise 
for the future. The country is as diversified as the people ; it con- 
sists of dense forests and vast pampas or plains, in which the herds of 
countless cattle and horses, and flocks of equally countless sheep, find a 
nutritious pasture. The pampas are far more extensive than the forests, 



EXTENT OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC. 



417 





■mw;''v 1} 



W%^4 ^nJf 



^••m 






POST-STATION ON THE PAMPAS. 



and there are places where you may travel miles and miles without seeing 
a tree, or even a bush. Altogether, the Argentine Republic contains a 
million square miles of land between latitude 21° and 41° south, and 
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Andes, which separate it from Chili. 
The southern part of the territory is a vast desert ; it is certainly a fool- 
ish quarrel between Chili and the republic, for the possession of this in- 
hospitable region. The whole area in dispute is not worth the lives of 
the men who have died there while trying to hold on to it." 

While Fred was writing the foregoing notes on the country, and Dr. 
Bronson and Frank were occupied with letters for home, Manuel was 
sent to engage passage on a steamer bound up the River Plate. Frank 
will tell us the story of the voyage. 

"Navigation on the River Plate is free to all nations," wrote the 
youth in his journal, "the same as on the Amazon. The river is vari- 
ously called ' Rio de la Plata,' ' River Plate,' and ' Plate River,' and, strictly 
speaking, it is an estuary rather than a river. It is formed by the junc- 
tion of the Parana River with the Uruguay almost within sight of the 
ocean ; the broad estuary is full of shoals and intricate channels which 

27 



418 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



^ifiiiifiiiiiillp 




»<?% , l y 



NAVIGATING THE RIVER PLATE. 



419 



render the navigation difficult. Large steamers can ascend the Parana a 
thousand miles from the sea; the basin of the Kiver Plate is estimated 
to contain a million and a quarter square miles of land, and the inland 
navigation which terminates at Buenos Ayres and Montevideo is said 
to be not less than ten thousand miles. The Paraguay may be considered 
the head and principal stream of the Plate system ; its sources are only 
a few miles from those of the Madeira, and the two streams might be 
easily united by means of a canal. 
" We left Buenos Ayres on a 
boat drawing about ten feet of 
water, and rigged like an ocean 
steamer ; we wondered what 
could be the use of the masts in 
river navigation, but found out 
before the voyage was over. 
Mosquitoes were thick and thirsty, 
but, like mosquitoes in other 
countries, they did not fly high 
in the air; when they were too 
numerous on deck for comfort, 
we climbed into the rigging and 
escaped their attentions. We ad- 
vise all travellers who may fol- 
low us to provide themselves 
with mosquito nettings ; and if 
they have preference in steamers, 
to choose one that has rigging in 

which they can find shelter. The cabins are apt to be disagreeably warm, 
and, besides, one does not like to be shut up there in the evening, when 
he can find a spot where the night air can be enjoyed without the pres- 
ence of the winged pests of South America." 




A REFUGE FROM MOSQUITOES. 



420 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

VISITING A CATTLE ESTATE.— THE LASSO AND BOLAS.— ASCENDING THE PARA- 
GUAY AND PARANA RIVERS.— ROSARIO AN,D ASUNCION.— PARAGUAYAN WAR. 
—INDUSTRIES OF THE COUNTRY.— MATE. 

ur T^HE terms Argentine Republic and River Plate are misnomers," said 
-■- Frank, in his journal ; " Argentine Republic means ' Republic of 
Silver,' and 'Rio de La Plata' has the same significance applied to the 
great stream. There is no silver on the banks of the river or anywhere 
near it; argentiferous deposits have' been found in the mountainous parts 
of the country, but they have not been worked to any extent. The wealth 
of the republic is in the fertility of the soil, and its grazing facilities. 
Precious or other metals do not figure in the exports, which are almost 
entirely confined to hides, beef, horns, tallow, and wool. 

"After passing the mouth of the Uruguay we were frequently quite 
near the shore, and could see great herds of cattle grazing wherever the 
country was open. We stopped at one of the estancias, or cattle estates; 
an accident to the machinery detained us several hours, and we accepted 
the invitation of one of the guachos to ride out about a mile from the 
landing and witness the operation of branding cattle. 

" It was conducted without any regard to the feelings of the animal 
which received the brand. He was singled out from his fellows by one of 
the vaqueros, or herdsmen, who was mounted on a swift horse and equip- 
ped w 7 ith a lasso, a long rope with a noose at the end. The lasso was 
thrown over the horns of the victim, or, perhaps, over one of his fore-legs; 
in either case it brought him to the ground, or enabled the vaquero to lead 
him to where several men stood ready for their share of the work. 

" They held him firmly on the earth, and then the branding-iron, which 
had been heated to redness, was applied to his hide, and held there with 
such force that it burned in deeply. The bellowing of the poor brute 
was unheeded ; when the iron was removed he was allowed to rise and 
gallop off to his companions, and he lost no time in doing so. Then the 
iron was returned to the fire and made ready for the next victim, and so 
the operation went on with great rapidity. The mark of the brand is in- 



A SOUTH AMERICAN SCENE. 



421 




422 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



delible not only while the animal lives, but after his hide has passed 
through the hands of the tanner. 

" Another weapon of the vaquero is the bolas, which consists of two 
balls joined by a leather thong six or eight feet in length ; they are usually 
round stones, or balls of iron or lead, and in either case are covered with 
leather, which is attached to the thong. They are swung round the head 
until they attain great velocity, and then hurled at the animal ; they twist 
around his legs, and bring him to the ground, or, at all events, hamper his 
speed so that he can be overtaken. 

" Another kind of bolas consists of three balls united by thongs to a 
common centre; they are more difficult to handle than the other sort, and 
are chiefly used for hunting the guanaco and ostrich on the plains in the 
southern part of the republic, and in Patagonia. Fred and I tried to use 




USE OF THE LASSO AND BOLAS. 



# PRACTICE WITH THE BOLAS. 423 

the bolas, the ordinary kind, but we found that it went generally in the 
opposite direction from what we intended. One of the guachos showed us 
how to do it, and set us to trying to ' bolear' a stake driven in the ground 
ten yards away. We didn't hit the stake a single time, but we should as- 
suredly have brought each other down if we had not stood at safe distances 
apart. When a novice is practising, the guachos require that he shall be 
far out of any possibility of reaching them by a stray shot. 

"'Now see how I'll do it,' said one of the guachos, as he started in 
pursuit of a steer that was escaping from the herd. 

" While the animal was at full gallop the bolas went twining around 
his hind-legs, bringing him to a dead halt, but without injuring him in the 
least. The guacho repeated the performance two or three times in suc- 
cession, and showed that he was thoroughly skilled in the use of the 
■weapon, which he launched with terrible swiftness and unerring accuracy. 

" The hunters in Patagonia generally carry no other weapons than the 
lasso and the bolas in their pursuit of the guanaco and ostrich. Wild 
horses are tripped up with the bolas and then secured with the lasso, and 
sometimes the leaden ball, hitting a horse fairly on the forehead, will bring 
him to the ground as lifeless as though shot through the heart. 

" When the repairs to the engines were completed a gun was fired by 
the steamer, and we galloped back to the landing. We steamed on until 
late in the evening, passing alternate stretches of forest and open ground, 
and on two or three occasions feeling the sand-bars with our keel. This 
mode of sounding was not to the liking of the captain and pilot, and so 
we anchored until morning. 

" For the first two hundred miles of its course as we ascend it the 
Parana is a labyrinth of islands and channels ; they are so numerous as to 
bewilder the novice, and even the old pilots say they are often perplexed 
by the multiplicity of ways open to them. The islands are covered with 
fruit trees, from which the markets of Buenos Ayres and Montevideo are 
supplied, and they overhang the water so that in some places a boat may 
be loaded without its occupant stepping on shore. The forests are gay 
with flowers in bloom, the air is filled with fragrance, little pools and nooks 
in the islands are covered with aquatic plants, and the luxuriance of vege- 
tation is so great that we were continually reminded of the lower Amazon. 

If only the mosquitoes had let us alone we should have found the jour- 
ney one of the most interesting we have ever made. 

" The country is rapidly filling up with inhabitants, who come from all 
parts of Europe, as already mentioned, but there is yet an immense area 
that awaits settlement. We ask for the Indians, but have difficulty in find- 



424 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




COSTUMES OF PARAGUAY. 



ing them ; at various times they have had quarrels with the settlers, but 
soon found it was better to remain on terms of peace. As the country 
has been occupied with farms and cattle-ranches, they have found a scarcity 
of game which has led them to retire into the interior. They are rarely 
seen on the lower part of the river, except where they have hired out as 
herdsmen to the owners of the cattle estates, the only kind of labor they 
are willing to engage in. 

" But as we go on we find the river narrower, its banks higher, and the 
islands less numerous. Two hundred miles from the mouth of the Pa- 
rana proper, and four hundred from the ocean, we came to Rosario, and 
remained several hours. The city surprised us by its extent and attractive 
features. In 1854 it was a wretched town with a few hundred huts, and 
perhaps three thousand inhabitants; now its population numbers fifty 



SCENE ON THE PARANA. 



425 




426 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

thousand, and it is next to Buenos Ay res in commercial importance. It 
is a port of entry for ships of all nations. 

" We saw steamers from half the countries of Europe, and especially 
from England, taking in their cargoes at Rosario. It lias fine and well- 
paved streets, which are provided with gas and railways, and lined with 
houses that would do honor to any city of its size in North America ; ships 
of any draught may lie close up to the high bluff on which it stands, and 
there is no occasion for building expensive docks. There are several rail- 
ways running to the interior of the republic, and one of them is intended to 
traverse the Andes, and connect with the Chilian lines to the Pacific coast. 

" The Salada, the first great tributary of the Parana from the west, 
joins the main stream about three hundred and fifty miles above its mouth. 
We made several stops at towns and cattle estates between Rosario and 
Corrientes, which is a prosperous place on the east bank of the Parana, 
just below its junction with the Paraguay River. It is a port of entry, like 
Rosario, and has a good deal of foreign commerce; many German and 
English merchants are established here, and are getting almost a monopoly 
of the foreign trade. 

" At Corrientes we saw several Chaco Indians, who are the aboriginals 
of this region. The country on the west bank is known as El Gran Chaco ; 
and though part of it has been settled, there is a very large region still in 
the hands of the Indians. Unlike their brethren lower down, they remain 
independent or nearly so; they do not disturb the whites unless first inter- 
fered with, and then they are ready for battle. Many a soldier of Para- 
guay and the Argentine Republic has fallen before their lances and arrows 
in the last fifty years. 

" One day, when the steamer was running close to the west bank of the 
river, we saw a group of horsemen darting among the trees. Inspection 
with our glasses showed them to be Indians, and the captain confirmed our 
observation. As we went slowly on they got up a sort of race with the 
steamer, and gave us a good chance to see them. All were on horseback, 
men, women, and children ; they had neither saddles nor bridles, but 
guided their horses with thongs, which were fastened around the lower 
jaws. They shouted and gesticulated for us to stop, but we had no business 
with them, as they had nothing which the steamer's people wanted to buy. 

" They are formidable enemies in war, as they are fearless and skilled 
horsemen, quite the equals of the Comanches or other wild men of our 
western plains. In their fights with the Paraguayan troops they have 
been known to stand up on the backs of their horses to resist an attack ; 
just as the attacking force was within shooting distance they dropped 



SUPERB HORSEMANSHIP. 



427 




428 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



astride of their animals, and with wild whoops dashed forward, creating a 
stampede among the frightened horses of their enemies, and making a 
scene of wild disorder. 

"Lieutenant Page of the United States Navy explored the Parana and 
Paraguay rivers and their tributaries in 1854, and visited some of these 
Indian tribes. Pie describes the Angaite tribe as a people of remarkable 
stature, many of them exceeding six feet in height, and all finely formed 
and athletic. The old Jesuits give wonderful accounts of the great age to 
which these people live ; they say that if one dies at eighty he is said to 




INDIANS OF THE LENQUA, RIVER PLATE. 

have been cut off in the flower of his existence. Men of a hundred years 
old will mount fiery horses and subdue them, and some of these people 
have reached the extraordinary age of one hundred and twenty years ! 
One of their chiefs, when asked how old he was, said he did not know, but 
he was married and had a son when the church at Asuncion was built. 
As the church was then one hundred and five years old the warrior had a 
ripe old age, supposing, of course, he told the truth. 

"They are skilful with the lasso and bolas, and also with their spears 
and bows. The whites try to prevent their obtaining firearms, but some- 
how they manage to get them through traders, and are not slow in learn- 



THE WAR IN PARAGUAY. 



42-9 




INDIANS SHOOTING FISHES. 



ing how to use them. They 
shoot fishes in the streams with 
their bows and arrows, and 
though a fish may be three or 
four feet under water they rare- 
ly fail to pierce him. As with 
most Indian tribes, the men en- 
gage in hunting and breaking 
horses, and leave all the drudg- 
ery to the women. 

"Passing the mouth of the 
Parana, we ascended the Para- 
guay River to Asuncion, the 
capital of the republic and its 

principal city. It has suffered terribly in the wars which Paraguay has 
waged with her neighbors, but is now fairly prosperous ; if the country 
will not go to war again Asuncion may hope for a satisfactory future, as 
it has a good position, and is connected with the interior by a line of 
railway nearly two hundred miles long. We have heard many stories about 
the war which lasted from 1865 to 1870, and was very near making a 
complete ruin of Paragua}^. Perhaps this is a good place to say some- 
thing about it. 

" General Lopez, who was then president and commander-in-chief of 
the armies, revived some old disputes with Brazil and the Argentine Re- 
public concerning the boundaries between Paraguay and those countries. 
He began hostilities by capturing a Brazilian steamer which was passing 
Asuncion on a peaceful mission, and seizing two Argentine steamers near 
Corrientes. Then he surrounded that town with his army and threatened 
its capture, and he sent assistance to some revolutionists in Uruguay who 
were trying to overthrow the government of that country. 

" The result of all this was that the three countries made war upon 
Paraguay, and they agreed not to stop fighting until they had completely 
conquered it, and made it powerless to go to war again. They carried out 
their programme completely ; Asuncion was occupied, the army was de- 
feated in several battles, and General Lopez was killed, in March, 1870. 
Then peace was declared, but it found the country prostrated, burdened 
with a heavy debt, and reduced in territory. Before the war the popula- 
tion of Paraguay was about half a million ; it was estimated that 170,000 
men were killed during the struggle, or died of disease consequent upon 
it, and that 50,000 women perished by famine and exposure in the forests 



430 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



and swamps. And all this for the ambition and avarice of one man, 
General Lopez ! 

" A gentleman who was here during the war tells ns that all business 
was suspended, and the river was occupied by fleets of war-ships and gun- 
boats, and defended by forts. The few ports on the river were converted 
into military stations, and the expenditure of money and credit, as well as 
the loss of life, on both sides was something enormous. There were 
countless scenes of horror, such as are witnessed in every war, and the 
stories of bravery and cowardice, honor and treachery, devotion and suf- 
fering, would fill volumes. Before the war ended the soldiers of Lopez 




A RIVKIl PORT DURING THE WAR. 



were barefooted, and almost without clothing, and many of their enemies 
were in an equally sorry plight. This gentleman visited the headquarters 
of Lopez one day, and found a soldier on duty there wearing nothing but 
a cloth around his waist and a cap on his head. Thus dressed, and with 
liis gun on his shoulder, he paced in front of the general with the dignity 
of a Prussian grenadier. 

" From all I can learn, 1 judge that the Paraguayan people fought 
bravely and suffered terribly, and were overpowered by superior numbers. 
Lopez appears to have been a man of pleasant manners in social life, but 
he had no care for the good of his country, and sacrificed all its interests 



INDUSTRIES OF PARAGUAY. 



431 




HEADQUARTERS OF GENERAL LOPEZ. 



to his own purposes. Before the war broke out most of the commerce 
was in his hands ; nothing could be imported or exported without his 
permission, and the payment of a tax which went into his pockets. He 
provoked the war in hope of establishing a kingdom, and failed, as he 
deserved to fail. 

" The country has few manufactures, and the principal industries are 
agriculture and the raising of sheep, cattle, and horses. In agriculture, 
the exported articles are tobacco and yerba mate or Paraguayan tea ; beef, 
mutton, hides, and wool are the products of the grazing lands which find 
their way to other countries, and there are some shipments of timber and 
fruit. 

"Of late years an industry of a new kind has sprung up on the River 
Plate and its tributaries, the shipment of frozen meat to England and the 
continent of Europe. On our way up the river we stopped at one of the 
estancias where this business was conducted, and had a chance to see 
some of its details. The manager kindly took us through the establish- 
ment, and explained the various processes. 

" The animals to be slaughtered and shipped — whether cattle or sheep 



432 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



— are killed and dressed in the usual way. The beeves are divided into 
quarters, but the sheep are kept whole ; in either case the meat is taken 
to a large room, where it is hung on racks, so that no two pieces shall come 
in contact with each other. This room is really an enormous refrigerator, 
and when it is filled the doors are shut tight, and the air within is cooled 
below the freezing-point by an artificial process. 

"When the meat has been prop- 
erly frozen, it is removed from 
the room and carried on board the 
steamer at the dock. This steamer 
has her hold arranged on the re- 
frigerating system, with several 
inches of thick felt between double 
walls of planking, so that heat is 
conducted away very slowly. 
When the hold is filled the cool- 
ing apparatus is set in operation, 
and the temperature is lowered to 
about 33° Fahrenheit ; the appara- 
tus is kept at work during the en- 
tire voyage, and until the steamer 
delivers her cargo in Europe. The 
meat thus remains perfectly fresh, 
although the ship passes the equator and remains for days and days under 
a tropical sun. 

"Meat is very cheap in South America and very dear in Europe. 
The managers of the new enterprise claim that they have met with com- 
plete success, and will soon be able to feed the whole of Europe on beef 
and mutton grown on the pampas of South America. They have many 
prejudices to overcome, besides the opposition which the graziers and 
butchers of the Old World are making to the prospect of having their 
home industries ruined by these importations. 

" We wanted to ascend the Paraguay to its head-waters, but circum- 
stances did not permit, and we turned back from Asuncion. We went to 
the end of the railway, and had a delightful ride through a diversified 
country; forest, pampas, hills, valleys, mountains, and plains alternated 
rapidly, and gave us a succession of surprises. Numerous herds of cattle 
and horses told of the wealth of the country in live-stock, and if we had 
not seen the herds we should have known of the prevailing industry by 
the piles of hides that awaited shipment at the railway stations. 




PARAGUAYAN MOTHER AND DAUGHTERS. 



MATE, AND THE MODE OF DRINKING IT. 



433 



" We are in the land of yerba mate, or Paraguay tea, and have drunk 
nothing else at breakfast and other meals ; of course, we have tried it fre- 
quently in our journeyings in South America, but have never adhered 
closely to it until now. Perhaps you would like to know more fully 
about it. 

" Well, everybody drinks it, or, rather, sucks it, as the leaves are broken 
into powder while drying, and not preserved whole, like Chinese tea-leaves. 
Fred and I have provided ourselves with bombillas, as the tubes are called, 
after the custom of the European residents, and whenever the cup is cir- 
culating we come in for our share. The dry powder is poured into a 
cup or bowl and covered with boiling water; when it has stood long 
enough for the infusion to be drawn it is sucked through the bombilla, 
precisely as people in New York take lemonades through straws. 




A LANDED PROPRIETOR. 



" The natives pass the cup and tube from one to another, but the 
European residents generally carry tubes of their own, and only the cup 
is passed around. The tube may be a reed or a straw, or of metal or 
glass, according to the fancy of the owner ; ours are of glass, and we carry 
them in cases to prevent their being broken. 

"Everybody drinks mate, and the Europeans who come here take to it 

28 



434 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




CUPS AND TUBES FOR MAT& 



with the greatest readiness. It has the 
same refreshing qualities as are found in 
tea and coffee ; the chemists say it con- 
tains caffeine and theine, together with 
caffeo- tannic acid, and it is sometimes 
recommended by physicians for their pa- 
tients. We are told that there is no part 

Km^r ' V \\^w Jrm0^ °^ tne wor ^ where Chinese tea is con- 
sumed by the inhabitants in as great a 
proportion as is mate by the South Ameri- 
cans. It is taken at meals and between 
meals; at all hours of the day and night, 
and also between those hours. 

" And now for the plant. Its scientific 
name is Ilex Paraguay ensis / it is a spe- 
cies of holly, growing on the banks of rivers in Paraguay and in the 
mountains of Brazil and Bolivia. It reaches a height of fifteen or twenty 
feet, and its leaves are four or five inches long, with serrated edges. The 
leaves are dried by artificial heat on a network of small poles, over a hard, 
earthen floor; when thoroughly roasted they are beaten with sticks until 
reduced to the powder I have already mentioned, when they fall through 
the network to the floor. 

" This powder is collected and packed in bags of hide ; each bag holds 
about two hundred pounds of mate, and in this condition it is shipped to 
market. About five million pounds of mate are sent every year from 
Paraguay to other South American countries, but very little goes to North 
America or to Europe. The outside world has not yet learned of its vir- 
tues to any appreciable extent. 

" ' Do you sweeten it as you do Chinese tea?' I hear some one asking. 
" Generally you do not. The natives almost never do, but some of 
the Europeans, who were accustomed to sweetened tea in their old homes, 
put a little sugar in the mate. Others put in a slice of lemon, just as the 
Russians do with their tea; Fred and I have taken our mate plain, and 
like it very much." 



" During our return to Buenos Ayres," continued Frank, " we went a 
short distance up the Parana, which is longer than the Paraguay Piver, 
but smaller in volume. Its banks are higher and more picturesque, but 
the country bordering the two streams appears to be pretty much the 
same. The river can be ascended a long distance ; in the upper part it 



A SOUTH AMERICAN CATARACT. 



435 



can only be navigated by boats of light draught, as it spreads over sand- 
bars, and is shallow in many places, 

"The Parana rises in the mountains back of Rio Janeiro, and its 
head -springs are not more than one hundred miles from that city. 
Several streams unite to form this river; where it leaves the mountain 
region it has a fall which is said, by many travellers, to be inferior to 
no other in the world, not even to Niagara. Here is the way it is de- 
scribed : . 

" ' After collecting the waters of several rivers on both banks, and es- 
pecially those of the Tiete and Paranapanema from the east, the Parana 
increases in width until it attains nearly four thousand five hundred yards, 



,,?fetp 



m ft 




SRipi 














PARAGUAYAN CART. 



a short distance above the falls ; then the immense mass of water is sud- 
denly confined within a gorge of two hundred feet, through which it 
dashes with fury to the ledge, whence it is precipitated to a depth of fifty- 
six feet. It is computed that the volume of water per minute is equal to 
one million tons ; the velocity of the flood through the gorge is forty 
miles an hour, and the roar of the cataract is distinctly audible at a dis- 
tance of thirty miles.' 

" If we can't have the pleasure of seeing the Guayra or Salto Grande, 
as the cataract of the Parana is called, we will console ourselves with the 



436 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



reflection that we have seen Niagara, and are disinclined to believe it has 
any superior in the world. Any way, it is three times as high as the 
cataract of the Parana, and if anybody doubts that there is a million tons 
of water passing over the American and Horseshoe falls every minute he 
is at liberty to count them." 




CARLO ANTONIO LOPEZ, FORMER PRESIDENT OF PARAGUAY. 



PLANS FOR SEPARATION. 



437 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

RETURN TO BUENOS AYRES.— DIVIDING THE PARTY.— TWO ROUTES TO VALPA- 
RAISO.— FRANK'S JOURNEY OVER THE PAMPAS.— MENDOZA.— AT THE FOOT OF 
THE ANDES. 

ON the way down the river Frank and Fred were occupied with their 
journals and letters, and with many consultations of the map of 
South America. The day before their arrival at Buenos Ay res Fred 
made a suggestion to his cousin relative to their future movements, 
and intimated that he thought 
it would be approved by the 
Doctor. 

" I think so too," replied 
Frank, " and we'll go and ask 
him. It is a repetition of our 
scheme in Africa without half 
as many difficulties in the 
way/' 

Finding Dr. Bronson en- 
gaged in nothing more ab- 
sorbing than looking at the 
distant bank of the river, they 
unfolded their scheme. 

"I have thought," said 
Fred, " it would be a good 
plan for us to separate at 
Buenos Ayres to meet again 
at Valparaiso. There are two 
routes from one city to the 

other ; the first by steamer, through the Strait of Magellan, and the 
second overland. One of us, accompanied by Manuel, can travel across 
the country, and the other two can go by water. We can time our 
journey so as to meet at Valparaiso, and if either expedition is a few 
days in advance of the other it would be no great hardship, as there is 




OLIVE BRANCH PROM THE BANKS OF THE PARANA. 



438 THE B Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

enough of interest in Chili to enable the time to pass away pleas- 
antly." 

" You have anticipated what I was about proposing to you," said the 
Doctor, with a smile. "I have been considering the very scheme you 
have studied out, and approve it heartily. You may decide for yourselves 
which of you will go overland with Manuel while the other accompanies 
me on the steamer " 

The youths retired for consultation. In half an hour they returned 
to the Doctor with the announcement that Frank would make the land 
journey, while Fred would accompany Dr. Bronson through the Strait of 
Magellan to Valparaiso. 

The rest of the time on the Rio de la Plata was occupied with plans 
for the trip, and before they realized that the voyage was at an end they 
were anchored in front of Buenos Ayres. 

While they are completing their preparations for the double journey 
to the great seaport of Chili, we will consider the routes they are about 
to travel. 

We have already mentioned the steamers of the English company 
that perform a fortnightly service each way between Liverpool and the 
ports of the east and west coasts of South America. Their time-tables 
can be relied upon — the accidents of the ocean excepted — and their ar- 
rivals and departures are as closely arranged as those of the magnificent 
vessels traversing the Atlantic between New York and the ports of Eng- 
land and western Europe. The regular fortnightly steamer bound south- 
ward was due at Buenos Ayres two days after the return of our friends 
from their trip to Asuncion, and promptly at the designated date the 
smoke from her funnels made a dark streak on the horizon to the east- 
ward. 

All the steamers of this line do not call at Buenos Ayres; when they 
do not visit the port the service is performed by an extra steamer from 
Montevideo. There are German, French, and Italian steamers, which ply 
through the Strait of Magellan, performing a service similar to that of 
the English company, but they only run monthly, and their accommoda- 
tions are inferior to those of the old established line. Besides, their 
departures are largely governed by the exigencies of freight, and a pas- 
senger is liable to be detained an indefinite number of hours, or even 
days, for the shipment or discharge of cargo. 

At the time our friends were in South America the railway from the 
eastward was completed and in operation as far as Mendoza, within forty 
miles of the base of the mountains, while the line from Valparaiso was 




MAP OF CHILI, ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION, AND URUGUAY. 



440 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



open to Santa Kosa, among the foot-hills of the Andes. Consequently 
Frank had in prospect a journey between Mendoza and Santa Kosa after 
the primitive manner of travelling in the Andes.* 

As the journey over the Andes was to be made in the saddle, Frank 
determined to travel in "light marching order." Manuel was sent to 
Mendoza immediately to make preliminary arrangements for the saddle 
and pack animals, while Frank remained in Buenos Ayres to make a few 
purchases, and to be with his friends until their embarkation on the 




• 7 ' T "* ; £:■.-'-- ll 



m&mti 



HH 




IN THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 



steamer. They were duly seen on board, and with many affectionate 
words of farewell, and good wishes expressed on both sides, Frank re- 
turned to shore, whence he watched the steamer until watching was no 
longer practicable. 

While Dr. Bronson and Fred are heading southward we will accom- 
pany Frank in his journey across the pampas and over the Andes. 

In a direct line, as a carrier pigeon might fly, Mendoza is six hundred 
and ten miles from Buenos Ayres, but by the windings of the carriage- 



*As this book goes to press the author is informed that work on both sides of the Andes 
is being vigorously prosecuted by the Chilian and Argentine governments. The engineers 
promise to have the line in operation in 1886, unless hindered by difficulties now unforeseen. 
The entire length from Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso by the route surveyed will be 1023 miles, 
and the estimated cost is thirty million dollars. 



VEGETATION OF THE PAMPAS. 441 

road and the railway it is about seven hundred. By the old post route 
the journey required from six to nine days, but the railway carries the 
traveller from one city to the other inside of forty hours. When the 
line is completed from ocean to ocean the speed will doubtless be accel- 
erated, and through trains will pass from Buenos Ay res to Valparaiso 
in forty-eight or fifty hours. Travellers who have no desire to spend a 
fortnight on the steamer, or study the scenery of the Strait of Magellan, 
will give preference to the railway route, and the cabin passengers of the 
English or other vessels between Buenos Ayres and Valparaiso, or vice 
versa, are not likely to be numerous. 

The railway ride over the pampas was interesting enough at first, but 
Frank soon found it monotonous. One mile greatly resembled another 
mile, as there is not much diversity of scenery on the broad plains, with 
their carpet of grass and scanty patches of trees. Several times the 
youth found himself regretting the departure of the old customs, and 
wished that he could emulate the example of Lieutenant Strain, and 
gallop across the pampas with the government courier. But the perusal 
of Strain's narrative, portraying the hardships and difficulties experienced 
by that gallant officer, brought him to his senses, and he was quite con- 
tented to be journeying in a railway carriage. 

Frank copied into his note-book the following description, by Sir 
Francis Head, of the aspect of the plains of Buenos Ayres : 

" This region, bordering on the Atlantic, varies with the four seasons 
of the year in a most remarkable manner. In winter the leaves of the 
thistles are large and luxuriant, and the whole surface of the country has 
the rough appearance of a turnip-field. The clover in this season is 
extremely rich and strong; and the sight of the wild cattle grazing in 
full liberty on such pasture is very beautiful. In spring the clover has 
vanished, the leaves of the thistles have extended along the ground, and 
the country still looks like a rough crop of turnips. In less than a 
month the change is most extraordinary ; the whole region becomes a 
luxuriant wood of enormous thistles, which have suddenly shot up to a 
height of ten or eleven feet, and are all in full bloom. 

" The road or path is hemmed in on both sides ; the view is complete- 
ly obstructed ; not an animal is to be seen ; and the stems of the thistles 
are so close to each other, and so strong, that, independent of the prickles 
with which they are armed, they form an impenetrable barrier. The 
sudden growth of these plants is quite astonishing; and though it would 
be an unusual fortune in military history, yet it is really possible that an 
invading army, unacquainted with this country, might be imprisoned by 



442 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



these thistles before they had time to escape from them. The summer is 
not over before the scene undergoes another rapid change, the thistles 
suddenly lose their sap and verdure, their heads droop, the leaves shrink 
and fade, the stems become black and dead, and they remain rattling with 
the breeze one against another until the violence of the pampero, or hur- 
ricane, levels them to the ground, whence they rapidly decompose and 
disappear; the clover rushes up and the scene is again verdant." 





ARRIVAL OF TRAVELLERS AT A GUACHO VILLAGE. 



Stations were infrequent on the line of the railway, as the country is 
not densely settled. The rearing of cattle and horses is the principal 
industry, and occasionally, as Frank looked from the windows of the rail- 
way train, he saw the guachos pursuing their herds, which generally man- 
ifested an unwillingness to remain in the neighborhood of the snorting, 
puffing locomotive. Sometimes the engine-drivers added to the fright of 
the half-wild animals by sounding the whistle, which rarely failed to 
create a stampede. They did not indulge in this amusement if the 
guachos were in sight, as the latter are not friendly to the railway, and 
would greatly prefer the old state of affairs. Naturally they resent the 
frightening of their herds, and the engine-driver who deliberately blows 



THE LIFE OF THE GUACHOS. 443 

the whistle and alarms horses or cattle is liable to be roughly handled 
whenever the gnachos can lay hold of him. 

Some of the stations were the abiding -places of the gnachos, and 
Frank embraced an opportunity to see the life of these denizens of the 
pampas. The result of his observation coincided with that of Lieutenant 
Strain, and he had no desire to remain among them. 

Many of the guachos are descended from the best blood of Spain, 
and in spite of their rough ways they frequently display a great deal of 
courtly dignity. They salute each other with much formality, remove 
their hats on entering a house, are always polite to strangers passing 
through their country, though often quite the reverse to those who come 
to settle among them. Their houses are generally mud hovels of but a 
single room ; beds and chairs are unknown, as the guachos and their 
families sleep and sit on the floor along with the dogs, which are generally 
quite numerous. Sometimes the skeleton of a horse's head is used in 
place of a chair, and the traveller is always bowed to it as though it were 
a velvet-covered fauteuil. Few of the gnachos can read or write, and 
evidently they do not place a high regard upon education. 

For the first year of his life the guacho has no clothing whatever; 
he crawls around in the dirt, of which there is an abundance, as the floor 
is rarely swept, or he is hung to the rafters or the wall of the hovel, in a 
basket made of a bullock's hide. When he can walk he is provided with 
a lasso and practises upon dogs and chickens; when four or five years 
old he is put on horseback, and by his sixth year he has become useful 
in assisting with the cattle and horses. His lasso practice continues, and 
it is no wonder that he is proficient with it ; throwing the lasso and bolas 
and riding on horseback complete his schooling, college course and all. 

He goes out alone, often for days together, and hunts for whatever 
game the country produces. Meat and water comprise his entire bill of 
fare, and with this simple diet and constant exposure he becomes tough- 
ened in all his muscles and capable of enduring any amount of fatigue. 
Guachos have been known to pass thirty or forty hours continuously in 
the saddle; on long journeys they generally drive a herd of horses be- 
fore them ; when they have wearied out a horse under the saddle they 
lasso a fresh one from the herd and mount him immediately. 

A guacho considers it a disgrace to be on foot, and will not walk a 
hundred yards if a horse is available. Frank was amused, at one of the 
stations, at seeing a man come out of a house, mount his steed, and ride to 
another house certainly not fifty yards distant. There he sprang to the 
ground again and entered the building, without the least thought that he 



444 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



had done anything absurd. In most countries he would have saved himself 
the trouble of springing into the saddle for a ride of such brevity, but not 
so the guacho. Frank said afterwards that he was reminded of a certain 
city in the United States where it is considered improper and undignified 
to cross a street anywhere except at the corners of the blocks. 

The most important town on the line of the railway is San Luis, or, 
to give its full name, San Luis de la Punta. It has a population of six 
or eight thousand, and is beautifully situated at an elevation of about 
twenty-five hundred feet above the level of the sea. It was founded by 




A DANCE AT SAN LUIS DE LA PUNTA. 



Luis Loyola in 1596, and has a considerable trade in hides, wool, skins, 
leather, and a few other things of less importance. Frank observed that 
nearly all the houses were one story in height, built of adobes or sun- 
dried brick, with earthen or tiled floors, and generally attached to a gar- 
den. Since the recent emigration from Europe began a good many 
Germans and Italians have settled at San Luis, and there are several 
Scotch and Irish herders living in the neighborhood. 

Frank was invited to stop a day and attend a tertulia or dance, but he 
declined the honor. The dances at San Luis are noticeable more for 
their vigor than their refinement. The guitar is usually the musical 



SCENES IN MENDOZA. 445 

instrument for the occasion, and the dancers whirl rapidly around the 
room, with very little attempt to keep step, as the shouts and laughter of 
the assemblage frequently render the music quite inaudible. 

On arriving at Mendoza Frank was met at the station by Manuel, who 
led the way to the fonda where he had secured a room for his young 
master. He had succeeded in making the needed arrangements for the 
journey over the Andes, though not without some difficulty. The pro- 
prietor of the fonda had recognized the advantage of keeping his patrons 
as long as possible, and interposed various hinderances to their prompt exit ; 
fortunately, Manuel had brought a letter from a German shop-keeper at 
Buenos Ayres to a German shop-keeper in Mendoza, and thus was enabled 
to expedite matters. 

Mules and their drivers had been engaged for the ride over the Andes 
to the terminus of the railway near Santa Rosa;- they were drawn up in 
the court-yard of the shop-keeper soon after Frank's arrival, and, after be- 
ing approved by him, were immediately despatched to the foot of the 
mountains, about forty miles distant. 

Frank then took a ride through the streets of Mendoza, and viewed 
the lions of the place. They were neither many nor great, as the city 
was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1863, when several 
thousands of the inhabitants perished. Traces of the devastation are still 
visible, but the town has been steadily recovering from the calamity, and 
is quite prosperous. 

Frank was impressed with the long rows of poplars, which shaded the 
streets and grew close to the walls of the numerous gardens. The pop- 
lars are so abundant that as one approaches Mendoza he rarely sees any- 
thing of it until within its limits ; the poplars conceal the city in every 
direction, and their shade is welcome to everybody in the hot hours of the 
day. There are many fruit gardens in and near Mendoza. The place is 
surrounded by canals, and there is one canal which passes through the 
city and supplies an abundance of water. Mendoza was long celebrated 
for its fruits, and formerly large quantities of peaches, grapes, cherries, 
and kindred things were dried here for transportation to market. Since 
the opening of the railway several fruit -preserving establishments have 
been started, and are doing a prosperous business. 

The city is the capital of the province of the same name. The prov- 
ince of Mendoza has an area of sixty-five thousand square miles, and 
about seventy thousand inhabitants, or a little more than one inhabitant to 
the square mile. The state of education may be known by the fact that 
more than fifty-five thousand of the inhabitants cannot read or write, and 



446 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



out of 17,216 children, between six and twelve years of age, in a given 
year, only 2132 attended school ! 




THE POLICE-OFFICE AT MENDOZA. 



Most of the province is a plain ; the greater part of this plain is fer- 
tile, but there are districts in the south where the herbage is too scanty 
for the support of cattle. Its western part includes a portion of the chain 
of the Andes ; Aconcagua, the highest of the Andean peaks, is on the 
border of this province, and near it are several other mountains of great 
height and magnificence. 

Frank had no desire to tarry in Mendoza after completing his arrange- 
ments for leaving. The fonda was dirty beyond description, in fact, 



EXPERIENCES WITH THE POLICE. 447 

Frank declared that in all his experience he had never seen a hotel which 
surpassed it in untidiness. Manuel had swept the room previous to 
Frank's arrival, and with great difficulty obtained the materials for a 
civilized bed. The place abounded in fleas, which have their advantages in 
conducing to early rising; our young friend was up before daybreak, and 
told Manuel to get things in readiness for leaving town as soon as possible. 

It was necessary to have a passport for the frontier between Chili and 
the Argentine Republic, and accordingly they paid a visit to the police- 
office, accompanied by their German friend. Frank presented the nec- 
essary papers, wdiich he obtained at Buenos Ayres, and there could be 
no reason for his detention ; but it took fully half an hour to convince the 
police-master that no harm would come to either country by allowing the 
youth and his servant to pass into Chili. Tourists are so rare in this part 
of the world that the authorities cannot easily believe a man will under- 
take the hardships of a journey over the Andes, when he has nothing to 
gain by it and considerable money to pay out. Looking upon travel as 
piirely a matter of business, they are quite in sympathy with the Chinese 
merchant w T ho was invited to an English dancing-party, and wonderingly 
asked his host, "Can't you get your servants to do that for you V 

In a light wagon, hired for the ride to the foot of the mountains, 
where the mules were waiting, Frank set out, accompanied by Manuel, 
who was seated at the driver's side and had a special eye for the baggage, 
that lay below T him. The wagon was the property of an enterprising citizen, 
who had imported it from the United States since the opening of the rail- 
way, and he was contemplating a purchase of half a dozen similar vehicles 
during the following year. It had stout springs, and was well adapted to 
the roads around Mendoza, which are none of the best. Frank was given 
the choice of this wagon or a Itirlocha, and immediately chose the former. 
And what do you suppose a birlocha is? 

It resembles an old-fashioned chaise, and is drawn by two horses, one 
between the shafts and one outside (on the left side), and fastened by a 
single trace of rawhide or half-tanned leather. The driver is mounted on 
the outside horse, and there are seats over the wheels for two passen- 
gers. In hilly country a man follows with a third horse, which is at- 
tached to the right side of the vehicle when a steep slope is to be as- 
cended. Frank took a ride through the streets of Mendoza in one of these 
vehicles, enough to satisfy himself that the wagon w T as preferable for the 
drive across the plain between the city and the foot of the mountains. 
Had he been in the hilly region he would have chosen the birlocha, for 
its greater facility in turning sharp corners. 



us 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




THE BIKLOCHA. 



Just outside the walls they met a pampa coach containing two passen- 
gers, w T ho were evidently travelling in style. The vehicle was a huge and 
clumsy affair, the rough roads of the country requiring that it should be 
very strongly constructed. It was drawn by four horses, and each horse 
carried a postilion, who was armed with a short whip or a bundle of stout 
thongs of rawhide. As they approached this nondescript concern its 
horses took fright at the apparition of the wagon, and reared and plunged 
in a way that greatly interfered with their linear progress along the road. 
When the postilions had lashed them into good behavior they darted off 
at full gallop, and were soon inside the fringe of poplars that surrounds 
the city. 

Before the railway was constructed, this style of carriage was employed 
on the pampas for those who could afford the expense and risk of coach 
and postilions. A passenger could carry an unlimited amount of baggage 
with the coach, and take his own time for it; by arranging for relays he 
could make very good time, but could not equal the speed of the govern- 
ment couriers, who went on horseback and made quick changes at the 
stations. 

When the Indians are troublesome the coach is objectionable, on ac- 



ON THE ROAD TO THE MOUNTAINS. 



449 



count of the increased danger arising from its use. It is obliged to fol- 
low the road, where it often raises such a cloud of dust as to indicate its 
locality and character to watchful Indians miles and miles away. While 
in the region of Indians, mounted horsemen always keep on the grass 
at the side of the road, and thus avoid making a dust-cloud. Then, too, 
the coach, with its baggage and the iron of its wheels, is a valuable prize 
to a people with whom iron is a scarce commodity. 




THE PAMPA COACH. 



They met groups of guachos and other inhabitants of the country on 
their way to Mendoza, everybody, without exception, being mounted on 
horse or mule, or riding in a cart. The carts were the same rude affairs 
with which Frank was already familiar; the wheels consisting of single 
trucks or sections cut from logs, four or five feet in diameter. A hole in 
the centre of the truck admits the axle; there is no tire on the truck, and 
when it is worn too small it is thrown aside and a new one takes its place. 
The axles are never greased, and when a dozen carts are in motion 
across the plain the creaking is fearful. It is said the Indians take ad- 
vantage of this creaking to guide them to trains moving along the road 

29 



450 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



in fog or darkness, and certainly it is as clearly audible as a fog-horn on 
the sea-coast. Whether the natives have ever circumvented the savages 
by the simple expedient of greasing the wheels is not recorded in the 
local chronicles. 

Long before Frank reached Mendoza, on his way from Buenos Ayres, 
he had seen the magnificent chain of the Andes filling the western hori- 
zon, and from the plaza of the city it seemed as though he could almost 
reach the summits of the nearest peaks with a bnllet from a rifle. The 
air is wonderfully clear and pure at Mendoza, and the consequent decep- 
tion regarding distances reminded our youthful traveller of his view of 
the Himalayas from Darjeeling, and of the Rocky Mountains from Denver. 

He was not the first to make the same mistake in the mountains near 
Mendoza. Read the following from Gerstaecker's narrative of a journey 
from Buenos Ayres to Valparaiso : 

"One day we saw a fox approaching, and I determined to have a shot 
at him. Master Reynard came up the slope as carelessly as though he 
were only out for a quiet walk ; judging the distance at about a hundred 
yards, just as he got scent of us, but appeared uncertain of the danger, I 
took a good and sure aim and pulled the trigger. The gun went off, but 




OX-CAUTS NEAR MENDOZA. 



THE DECEPTIONS OF VISION. 



451 




COMING TO TOWN. 



to my ntter astonishment the ball struck the snow, as I plainly saw, some 
paces short of the fox ; and Reynard, discovering all was not right, scam- 
pered off, leaving me to fire with as little effect as before. 

"Having no idea what could be the matter with the gun, I went to 
the place where the fox had stood, and, counting the steps in going, was 
surprised to find that what I had thought about a hundred yards was 
really two hundred and sixty ! So deceptive was the pure and transpar- 
ent snow as to distance. 

"Indeed, on looking back, I saw that the spur of the mountain be- 
hind appeared not farther off than two or three .miles, though I knew the 
distance to be much greater. Then I reflected that if the sight was mis- 
led in this way by the thin air in judging the distance of objects so 
close, what an enormous space must lie between the mountain-ridges, 
which really looked so far apart, and to what a height the mighty peaks 
must rise, when they were so gigantic even in appearance." 

As he approached the base of the mountains, Frank found them every 
moment becoming more lofty in appearance, and it was not unnatural 



452 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



that he should begin to wonder if there was really a way of passing over 
them to the other side. The plain and the mountains kept his thoughts 
fully occupied till he reached the end of the wagon-road and halted at the 
little village where the mountain-path begins. 




EXERCISING THE MULES. 



The mules and their drivers were there in advance; two of the ani- 
mals were undergoing exercise in the plaza of the village, and manifesting 
not a little obstinacy, to the great delight of the whole population, which 
had turned out to witness the sport. Frank was by no means elated to 
learn that the mule which displayed the greatest amount of "contrari- 
ness" was the one which he was to ride on the following day. 



CONTRACT WITH DON FEDERICO. 453 



CHAPTER XXYII. 

INCIDENTS OF A RIDE OVER THE ANDES. — CONTRACT WITH THE ARRIERO.— 
PASSES BETWEEN CHILI AND THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC— NIGHT SCENES.— 
DANGERS OF THE ROAD.— A PERILOUS POSITION.— USPALLATA.— AT THE CREST 
OF THE ANDES. 

T bad been arranged that in consideration of eighty dollars, half in 
advance, and the balance on completion of the journey, II Setihor 
Don Francisco Bassetti (which is South American Spanish for JVTr. Frank 
Bassett) and his servant were to be transported from Mendoza to Santa 
Rosa, with their baggage, the latter not exceeding two hundred pounds in 
weight, exclusive of blankets and clothing. The contract was taken by 
one Don Federico, an arriero who presented the most laudatory testi- 
monials as to his efficiency and honesty. It was stipulated that Federico 
should provide an extra saddle-mule for Frank and another for Manuel, 
to be used in case of accident, and that lie and the peon who accompanied 
him would attend to the saddling and all the care of the beasts. Federico 
was to provide food for the travellers similar to his own ; any extra pro- 
visions they chose to carry would form part of the baggage, and be in- 
cluded in the allowance of two hundred pounds. The peon was to do the 
cooking for the party, but no objection should be made if Senhor Don 
Francisco Bassetti chose to employ his servant Manuel in the preparation 
of his dinners. 

Don Federico, the arriero, proved something less than fancy and his 
testimonials painted him, but, considered as a whole, he was not altogether 
utterly depraved. His first move was to reduce the number of extra sad- 
dle-mules to one, by suggesting that it was not probable the regular mules 
of Frank and Manuel would both be disabled at once. Therefore he 
thought one would suffice. He would have gone into a lengthy argument 
on the subject had he not been cut short by Frank, who insisted upon the 
terms of the contract. Next, he proposed to load the baggage on one of 
the extra saddle-mules, and when prevented from doing so, he suggested 
that it could be divided and carried behind the saddles of the travellers. 
Evidently lie was bent on reserving one mule from the stipulated number. 



454 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




$f ' I 



I llii^ 41 I 



1 i 




A START UNDER DISADVANTAGES. 



Frank and Manuel met him at every point ; when he found it impossible 
to cheat them he submitted gracefully, and afterwards conducted himself 
very fairly. Later in the day Frank learned that the arriero came from 
Mendoza with the proper number of mules. One had become lame, and 
Federico was obliged to hire another to replace it. Instead of frankly 
stating his trouble, he had endeavored to " dodge " the difficulty by depart- 
ing from his agreement. 

Frank obtained lodgings at the house of a German, the only European 
resident of the place. His bed was a pile of hides in a corner of a room 
full of merchandise, and the youth spent a considerable part of the night 
in deliberating as to whether the hides were harder or softer than' the floor. 
Don Federico was anxious to start early in the morning, and Frank accom- 
modated him : he was up before daybreak, and the whole party had break- 
fasted and were in the saddle by sunrise. 

Provisions for crossing the Andes are limited in variety, but that the}'' 
are adapted to the wants of travellers there can be no dispute. They con- 
sist of charqui, or jerked beef, reduced to a powder by pounding in a 
mortar or between two stones. It is baked or roasted before pulverization, 
and is therefore ready cooked. For preparing a repast of charqui, heat 



THE WATER-SHED OF THE ANDES. 



455 









PASS OF USPALLATA. 



456 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

some water till it boils ; throw in a few spoonfuls of the beef powder, 
one or two slices of onion, break in some bread or crackers, and let the 
whole simmer for ten minutes. Serve hot, and you have a dish that a 
king might envy. 

"It would hardly answer for Delmonico's or other fashionable restau- 
rants," wrote Frank in his note-book, " but with the appetite created by 
exercise and the air of the mountains I have never tasted anything more 
welcome than this simple preparation. It can be easily carried, is not 
readily spoiled, and, on the whole, is the very best thing one could have. 
I brought along some tins of preserved meats and vegetables ; they proved 
acceptable, but were not at all necessary for our existence. In a bag slung 
at my saddle-bow I carried some crackers, and whenever hungry I pro- 
ceeded to nibble one of them. Charqui soup, crackers, raisins, figs, and 
mate comprised my bill of fare on the journey after the first day out, with 
the addition of the flesh of a few birds and rabbits we killed on the way." 

For the rest of the account of this trip over the Andes we will copy 
from Frank's journal. 

"According to the geographers," wrote our young friend, "there are 
ten passes across the Andes between the Argentine Republic and Chili ; 
they vary from six to fifteen thousand feet above the sea-level at their 
highest point, and each pass has its peculiarities. The pass of Los Patos 
(The Ducks) has the advantage of good pasturage all the way, and is much 
frequented by cattle-drivers, to whom time is no object, but the great 
length of the route renders it undesirable for travellers and merchandise 
trains. The Planchon Pass lies along the Claro and Teno rivers; it is only 
six thousand feet high, and has been selected as the route for the railway 
between the two countries. 

" The passes most used by travellers are Portillo and La Cumbre ; the 
former is much travelled from the beginning of February to the end of 
April, and the latter from November to May. We are crossing by La 
Cumbre, which is also known as Uspallata Pass; it was one of the earliest 
routes known to the Spanish conquerors of Chili and the Argentine 
Republic, and is said to have been in use for centuries before their 
arrival. 

" This pass has two roads, which are traversable at different periods, 
according to the state of the snow; the one generally used is 12,488 
feet above the sea, while the other is 12,656 feet. At irregular intervals 
along the route there are casuchas, or refuges, which were built by the old 
Spaniards for the protection of couriers and travellers who might be 
caught in snow-storms. Under the Spanish rule the casuchas were pro- 



REFUGES FOR TRAVELLERS. 



457 





NEAR THE BASE OF THE ANDES. 



vided with benches or shelves on which one could sleep ; there were doors 
that could be closed, and a supply of food and fuel was kept in each build- 
ing. But since the countries became independent of the Old World the 
doors and shelves of these houses of refuge have been burned, and the 
supply of provisions is not maintained. The casuchas are dirty, and so 
open to the wind that unless the weather is absolutely terrible it is prefer- 
able to stay outside. The traveller must rely upon himself for provisions, 
and if he has not a sufficient supply, in case of a long detention in the 
mountains, he must either starve or eat his mules. 

" It had been stipulated with Federico that a supply of charcoal should 
be carried, as no fuel is obtainable on the highest parts of the mountains. 
Lower down there are trees and shrubs sufficient for cooking purposes, and 
there are patches of vegetation where the animals can graze, but in the 
upper elevations the beasts must go hungry, unless a few rations of grain 
are carried for them. Federico was thoughtful regarding his mules, and 
provided for them more liberally than do many of the arrieros. We had 
a good supply of blankets and other coverings for sleeping purposes ; the 



458 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

weather was line, and there was a good prospect that we should be in Santa 
Rosa on the fifth day from setting out on our mountain ride. 

"Among the people that gathered to witness our departure there were 
several afflicted with goitre, or swelling of the glands of the neck. I saw 
many cases of this disease in Mendoza, and at different points along the 
road; to all appearances it is identical with the goitre one sees in Switzer- 
land, and its origin is as mysterious here as in the Old World. Federico 
said that nine tenths of the victims were women ; he added that few of 
them objected to it, as it was ' excellent for displaying jewelry.' 

"We rode out from the little village in as much 'style' as we could 
command, in spite of the restiveness of the mules, and their tendency to 
use their heels whenever an opportunity was afforded. Federico said they 
would get over it in a little while, but for the present we must put up with 
their eccentricities. Before starting we witnessed the performance of a 
young colt which had been taken in tow by the arriero of a party bound 
for Mendoza ; it surpassed any of our mules in its kicking propensities, 
and I was satisfied that our beasts were by no means the worst behaved in 
the country. 

"Almost immediately after leaving the village we struck into the val- 
ley of a river flowing from the mountains, and from this point our road 
was almost a continuous ascent. Up and up we climbed, passing two or 
three mining establishments, apparently abandoned, and an occasional hut 
whose occupant sold food and forage to the mule trains, and took advan- 
tage of the little patches of grass near his residence. After several hours 
of this kind of work along zigzag paths we reached the highest point of 
the Uspallata range, and halted to give our animals a breathing-spell, and 
to observe the sceneiw. 

"This spot is called 'El Paramillo,' and the view it affords is magnifi- 
cent. To the eastward the plain and the intervening hills were spread like 
a map before us, and we could trace the course of the rivers and ravines 
for many and many a mile. North and south and west were the Andes; 
their great peaks seemed to pierce the sky, and their caps of purest snow 
reflected in almost blinding clearness the rays of the sun. Though we 
had gained an elevation of thousands of feet, the mountains towered far 
above us, and I realized more than ever before the awful grandeur of the 
Andes. Below and around us were yawning chasms, and as Federico 
pointed out the route by which we were to continue it seemed as though 
an eternal barrier stood between us and the opposite side of the great chain 
of the Andes. 

" From the crest of this ridge we proceeded over a table-land and along 



UNCOMFORTABLE LODGINGS. 



459 



a gentle descent for about fifteen miles, till we reached the rancheria of 
Uspallata, where we passed the night. It consists of a series of adohe 
houses built around a court-yard ; several of these houses are divided into 
rooms for the accommodation of travellers, and as soon as Manuel could 
secure one of them it was delivered into our custody. It was the Eastern 
khan or caravansary over again, and I fancy that the idea must have been 




1 



jimr";:<'MV\\\\\w ->--—-—--■- ''-^'''■~'^***?t£. '' 




A DANGEROUS ROAD IN THE MOUNTAINS. 

brought from Spain by the early settlers, and originally obtained from the 
Moors during their residence in the Peninsula. 

" My room contained a chair and a table, but no other furniture. On 
one side there was a shelf of adobes four feet wide and two feet above the 
floor, which was intended for a bed, but there was not even a rawhide 
upon it. I was expected to supply my own bedding, and with the aid of 



460 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



my overcoat, blankets, saddle, and saddle-gear, I had a very comfortable 
couch under the circumstances. I was too weary to be particular, and, 
five minutes after lying down, was oblivious to all outward things. 

"Manuel piled our personal belongings in one corner of the room, and 
slept on the floor near them. Our mules were turned into the clover-fields 
which surround the buildings, and afford good pasturage for cattle and 
mule trains. Federico told me he was obliged to pay a sum equal to about 
twenty cents of our currency for each animal ; he and his men had all the 
work of collecting and managing their beasts, and the proprietors had 




PEONS AT REST. 



nothing to do except to collect the money. They must make a fine revenue 
from the place, as each room yields a dollar a night when occupied, and 
everybody is or has his own servant. But perhaps they are so heavily 
taxed by the government that their profits are materially reduced. The 
governments in this part of the world do not permit a private citizen to 
make money rapidly except in rare instances. 

" We obtained beef and eggs and a loaf of bread for supper, so that we 
were not obliged to draw upon our mountain provisions. Manuel made an 
excellent omelette from the eggs ; he cut the beef into small pieces, through 



MULES AND MADRINA. 4.QI 

which a long stick was thrust, and then held the meat over a fire until 
thoroughly cooked. I opened a can of oysters that I brought from Buenos 
Ayres, and prepared a savory stew in a kettle borrowed from the kitchen 
of the rancheria. Oysters, fresh beef, bread, mate, and the hunger of a 
famished wolf ! what more could be required for an excellent meal? 

" In the morning we had breakfast (identical with the supper, but with- 
out the oysters), and were ready for the road at an early hour. When I 
went into the court-yard of the rancheria there were at least a hundred 
mules, all mixed up in the wildest confusion. There were half a dozen 
trains, some bound east, and the others west ; the arrieros and their peons 
were busy saddling their animals, and as soon as one had received his cargo 
he was allowed to wander among the herd at will. There was a chorus of 
braying which surpassed a Chinese band of music or the noise of a boiler 
factory, and the lack of accord was emphasized by vigorous kicks on the 
part of the animals. How I wished to photograph the scene, and phono- 
graph it too, at the same time ! 

" I wondered how it would be possible to separate the animals of the 
different trains, but soon found out. 

"As each arriero completed his saddling he led out his mctdrina, or 
bell-mare, and tinkled her bell. Instantly his mules followed her, sepa- 
rating themselves from the rest of the herd without the least difficulty. 
Federico told me it is the bell rather than the mare which forms the at- 
traction, as the mules will follow the bell on a strange mare but will not 
follow their madrina with another bell. When the mules are turned out 
to graze they always keep near the madrina, and their manifestations of 
devotion to her are constant. When she is in danger they have been 
known to form a circle about her and, with heels outward, make a vigor- 
ous defence. 

"My saddle-mule was a perfect ' amadrinado,' in the language of the 
arrieros, or thoroughly trained to follow the madrina's bell. If I fell be- 
hind the train at any time, and especially if the bell could not be heard, 
the beast became restive, and was evidently much alarmed. If I dis- 
mounted, for even a minute, it was necessary to keep a strong hold of the 
bridle, and there would generally be so much kicking and plunging that 
I needed the aid of the arriero or a peon to mount again. 

" The table-land of Uspallata continues for eight or ten miles, till the 
valley of the Pichiuta River is reached. We ascended this valley for 
several miles and then turned across an intervening ridge to the Mendoza 
River; the Pichiuta is a clear, sparkling stream of excellent water, and 
there is plenty of pasturage and fuel along its banks, while the water of 
the Mendoza is muddy and has a brackish taste. 



462 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 





A MOUNTAIN CANON. 



" Here let me remark that there is a wonderful difference between 
the rivers of the eastern and western slopes of this part of the chain of 
the Andes. On the Chilian side the streams are nearly all clear and pure, 
while on the Argentine side they are mostly muddy, and so impregnated 
with salt and lime as to be unfit for drinking or cooking purposes. The 
banks of the small streams are nearly always covered with an incrustation 
of impure saltpetre, and sometimes the water is so bad that cattle are 
poisoned by it. 

" On the ridge between the two rivers we had our first real dangers of 
mountain travelling. There are several lade?*as, or places where the road 
is cut into the side of a mountain, and so narrow that two loaded mules 
cannot pass. There are spaces where the path is widened a little, and it 



PERILS OF THE MOUNTAINS. 



463 



is customary for trains, moving in opposite directions, to watch for each 
other and avoid meeting in the narrow and most dangerous spots. 

" One of our baggage-mules was ahead, and right in one of the laderas 
he met a train coming the other way. I feared he would be thrown from 
the path into the great chasm, a thousand feet below, and you may be 
sure mv face was full of anxietv. 



. :-:■ : 



Turf J 



.■:-■ ' 

wm 




SNOW-SLIDE ON THE TRAIL. 



" To my surprise and delight the mule planted his four feet close to- 
gether, and turned around in a space not more than a yard wide! Then 



4(54 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

he trotted back to join us, and I wanted to get down and hug him for his 
display of intelligence. 

" Federico told me to allow everything to my mule, and under no cir- 
cumstances attempt to guide it in a dangerous spot. 'The mule knows 
every ladera on the mountains,' said he, ' and exactly where to place its 
feet. Never hurry it in the least, and never touch the reins no matter 
how much you are tempted to do so.' 

" This was good advice, and I remembered it, at any rate, most of the 
time. Once I forgot myself when the mule stumbled on a ladera, and for 
a few seconds was balanced on one foot on the edge of a fearful abyss. 
The side of the mountain was almost perpendicular for five or six hundred 
feet below me, and there was a wild torrent dashing along its base. In- 
stinctively I threw out my hands to grasp the reins. Federico was just 
behind, and shouted for me to sit still ; his voice recalled what he had told 
me, and my hands dropped to my side as though I had lost all strength. 
One foot of the mule actually went over the edge of the rock, but the 
other held its position, and I was safe ! 

" One of the perils of the road are the snow-slides. Masses of snow 
accumulate on the slopes of the mountains, and suddenly, without a mo- 
ment's warning, sweep downward into the valley below. Men and ani- 
mals on any part of the trail crossed by the avalanche are carried along 
with it; sometimes the} 7 are crushed to death and buried far out of sight, 
and sometimes they escape without serious injury. Generally, however, 
the snow-slides are fatal to those who happen to be caught in them, and 
the arrieros naturally hold them in great dread. 

"I think I hear some one asking why I did not get off and walk in 
the perilous places. The arrieros say it is more dangerous to walk than 
to ride, and certainly they ought to know. In the first place, I was igno- 
rant of the road, and that is a very important consideration ; and, secondly, 
the mule is accustomed to this kind of travel and I am not. lie never 
takes a step without determining beforehand exactly where his feet are 
to be planted, and not until one foot is firmly in position does he vent- 
ture to lift another. Besides, he has twice as many feet as I have, and, 
therefore, should be doubly sure-footed. 

" Some of the torrents have been spanned with rope-bridges, which 
are secure enough, but very shaky. The mules hesitate to cross these 
structures, but they generally do so after a great deal of persuasion, which 
is mostly physical. 

" The second night of our mountain journey was spent at the ' Casucha 
de las Puquios,' at the edge of a marsh where there was tairly good past- 



A FRIENDLY MEETING. 



465 



iii-age for our weary animals. We had a supper of charqui soup, made 
in the manner I have described, together with a partridge and a rabbit 
broiled over the coals. The rabbit was shot within a hundred yards of 
our camp, and the partridge about a couple of hours before we reached it. 
Game is not abundant in this region ; rabbits, partridges, guanaco, and 
foxes are the principal products of the chase around Uspallata, and Fede- 
rico says he has frequently made the journey without seeing a single 
wild bird or beast. 




HANGING BRIDGE IN THE ANDES. 



"Not long after our arrival a train of twenty mules came in from the 
westward and camped close to us. The drivers fraternized with our men 
and joined them at supper, and there was a general exchange of informa- 
tion concerning the condition of the roads. There is universal hospitality 
among the arrieros, and when one party meets another there is an imme- 
diate proffer of food, cigarettes, or anything else that may possibly be 
wanted. Every time we met a train the arrieros would stop to chat a few 
moments, and then, with an ' Adios ! ' ' and a graceful wave of the hand, 
hurried on to overtake their charges. 

" Soon after starting the next morning we passed ' The Inca's Bridge,' 
a natural causeway over a stream which flows about forty feet below it. 
The bridge is sixty feet long and averages about the same in width ; and 
Mr. Darwin thinks it was formed by the river breaking through under- 
neath. Lieutenant Macrae, of the United States Navy, made a careful ex- 



466 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




DEEP CHASM IN THE MOUNTAINS. 



amination, and thinks it was formed by the concretion of the water from 
several calcareous springs in the hillside, which went on forming shelf af- 
ter shelf till they reached across. On a shelf under the bridge there are 
two warm springs which have been hollowed out into baths. I tried the 
temperature, and found it 97° Fahrenheit ; I wanted to take a bath in one 
of the springs, but was fearful of catching cold after immersion in the 
warm water. 



HOW THE MULES WERE SUBDUED. 



467 



"The arrieros do not wash their hands or faces from the beffinnino; to 
the end of a journey ; I had been strongly advised to follow their exam- 
ple, and was warned that I would suffer if I did otherwise. I dipped my 
bands in the warm water, and. then yielded to the temptation to wash 
them; I was paid for my rashness by one of the worst cases of chapped 
hands I ever experienced. I retained the impurity of my face, and on 
reaching Santa Rosa my complexion was darker than that of any of my 
peons, and soiled enough for a street gamin of New York. 

" From the Inca's Bridge we ascended the valley of the Cueyos 
River for some distance, and then began a steep ascent. It was a steady 
struggle, and as we rose higher and higher I could see it was very trying 
to the strength of our mules. They panted for breath, and after a few 
minutes' exertion it was necessary for them to take a rest of nearly equal 
length. At Mendoza, and also in the lower country and on the table-land, 
I had observed that the arrieros and peons were very cruel to their ani- 
mals, belaboring them severely for 

their insubordination, and calling ^?3z^yTf^r^ 

them a great many hard names. 
But in the dangerous parts of the ^:" 

journey the whole state of affairs : y % 

was changed. The mules were do- 
cile, and quite the reverse of obsti- 
nate, while the drivers were models 
of gentleness. They used neither 
whip nor spur, but spoke softly, 

and permitted the animals to suit 

themselves in going on or. resting. 

For a good deal of the way our 

advance ,was very slow. 

"We stopped frequently, for 

five or ten minutes at a time ; at 

noon we halted for an hour where 

there were a few shrubs on which 

the mules could nibble, but nothing 

which would make a satisfactory 

meal. We passed the night — the 

third of the journey — in a casucha, 

which Federico said was two thou- 
sand feet below the summit of the 

pass. The wind blew fiercely, and 




A VICTIM OF THE STOKM. 



468 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

made the casucha, doorless though it was, preferable to the open air. 
I ordered the peons to clear it of dust and rubbish, and we spread our 
beds on the floor; we got along fairly well, and were up early enough 
to be off as soon as daylight permitted us to see the road. It wasn't a 
place for late sleeping, and a snow-squall that came on during the night 
added to our discomfort. It was only a squall though, not a storm, and 
did no real harm. 

"Near our camping- place there were many skulls and skeletons of 
cattle ; Federico said they were the remains of a large drove which were 
caught in a storm and perished here on their way to Chili. The great 
perils of the mountain passage are in the snow-storms, which sometimes 
detain the traveller for weeks in one spot. They rise suddenly, and the 
experienced mountaineers cannot be tempted to venture out when such 
storms are liable to come. 

"From here to the summit the road was like a series of zigzags di- 
rectly up the side of the mountain. It was trying to the nerves to look 
down, and I soon found the best thing was to fix my gaze on the top of 
the mountain, or to the first visible angle of the path above me, and keep 
it there. At times we ascended at an angle of forty degrees, and I am 
not sure but that it was sometimes forty-five or fifty degrees. Certainly 
I have never climbed a steeper road, and never want to do so. 

"Hurrah! here we are at the top. We can toss a stone into Chili 
with one hand and into the Argentine Republic with the other. We are 
more than two miles in the air, and as we look away to the westward we 
can see the dark mass of the Pacific Ocean forming the curving rim of 
the horizon. 

" We are at the crest of the Andes, and the South American continent 
is at our feet." 




A CHILIAN OX-CART. 



EFFECTS OF A RAREFIED ATMOSPHERE. 



469 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

DOWN THE WESTERN SLOPE OF THE ANDES.— A LONG IMPRISONMENT IN THE 
SNOW.—" THE SOLDIER'S LEAP."— SANTA ROSA.— SANTIAGO.— ARRIVAL AT VAL- 
PARAISO. 

Several condors were wheeling in the air above the little party, but, 
besides these huge birds of the mountains, there were no visible signs of 
animal life. In the last half-hour of the ascent Frank had felt the effect 
of the rarefied atmosphere of his 
great elevation. He breathed 
with difficulty, and as he took the 
air into his lungs its lightness 
was very unsatisfying. There 
seemed to be a heavy pressure 
upon his chest, and several times 
a faintness came over him which 
threatened to end in unconscious- 
ness. He tried to think of oth- 
er things, and in this way pre- 
served his senses, and kept from 
falling out of the saddle. 

But if the youth suffered 
from the rarity of the atmosphere 
while making no exertions, what 
must it have been with the ani- 
mal he rode? The breath of the 
mule came quick and fast, and was expelled from the nostrils with a loud 
sound ; the animal could hardly take a dozen steps without halting to rest ; 
and it was the same with all the other beasts of the train. Frank declared 
afterwards that he never witnessed a more notable instance of patience 
and perseverance on the part of the much-derided hybrid than in that ride 
over the Andes. He forgave the animal for his eccentricities and insubor- 
dination near Mendoza, and promised never again to despise a mule. 




THE CONDOR. 



470 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



Before beginning the descent it was necessary to make a careful adjust- 
ment of the saddles, to prevent their slipping forward, as the road is quite 
as steep as the one up which they had just been climbing. Every strap 
was tightened and fastened, and when all was ready, and the mules had 
fully recovered their breathing powers, the column began its march into 
Chili. 

" Down, down we went," wrote Frank in his journal, " along a series of 
zigzags cut into the steep slope of the mountain at an angle of nearly 
forty -five degrees. The vast area before us, bordered by the distant ocean, 




TRAVELLING IN THE SNOW. 



was broken into mountains and valleys, dotted with forests and stretches 
of open country, sprinkled with towns and villages, and seamed and streaked 
with the tortuous paths of rivers which have their sources on the sides of 
the Andes, and are fed from the melting snows. The contemplation of 
such an expanse of the world's surface lying at my feet told more plainly 
than my sufferings with the rarefied air the great elevation I had attained. 
I was at a height of more than two miles, and the summits of mountains 
that would be considered lofty almost anywhere else were far below me. 



CAUGHT IN A SNOW-STORM. 



471 



The ocean seemed near and far ; its horizon appeared at an almost limitless 
distance, and at the same time I could half believe that a stone thrown 
from my hand would fall on the shore. 

" We halted at the first hut, and remained an hour for lunch and rest. 
While we were waiting, Federico told me how he was once caught at this 
very casucha in a temporale, or snow-storm. 

"It was rather late in the autumn, and he was going alone from Men- 
doza to Santa Rosa, having been hired by a merchant of the former place 
to take an important message over the mountains. He had passed the 
summit in safety, and reached this casucha just at sunset, when he saw a 
temporale sweeping down from the north. He dismounted in front of 
the casucha, and just as he had loosened his saddle and thrown it to the 
ground the mule sprang from him, 
dashed down the path, and was out 
of sight in a moment. The storm 
came, and he entered the building 
for safety ; he afterwards ascer- 
tained that the mule tumbled over 
a precipice, and was killed by the 
fall into the chasm below. 

" All night the snow whirled 
around the little dwelling, and in 
the morning the drifts reached to 
the top of the doorway. Road, 
cliff, and chasm were obliterated, 
and it would have been certain 
death to go on. There he remained 
day after day ; the storm continued, 
and was so violent that, for much 
of the time, he could not see a 
dozen yards away. The hut was 
without a door, the cold was in- 
tense, and his little store of char- 
coal was of no use to give warmth 
to the wind-swept building. 

" He was threatened with death 
by starvation, as his stock of pro- 
visions was small. He ate as little 
as possible consistent with support- 
ing life ; hour after hour he sat and 




A NATURAL HIGHWAY. 



472 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



gazed at his possessions, wondering whether they would hold out until he 
could venture to descend from his mountain prison. On the seventeenth 
day the last mouthful was consumed, and on the morning of the eigh- 
teenth he had the option of dying for want of food or risking his life 
among the cliffs and chasms which lay beneath him and the wide stretch 
of forest and fertile land visible below. 

"Enfeebled by his privations and trembling with the cold, he crawled 
from the hut and began the perilous descent. Slowly he crept forward, 
feeling with a stick every foot of the path, hugging closely against the 




CUTTING STEPS ALONG THE MOUNTAIN. 



cliff, standing sometimes on the edge of precipices, where another inch 
would have carried him sheer downwards for thousands of feet, cutting a 
pathway through the drifts, picking his way over streams covered with 
ice that threatened to crumble beneath him, fainting at times from loss of 
strength, and lying helpless for minutes which seemed like hours. He 
finally passed below the snow-line and reached the smiling valley, where 
he found relief. 

"He tells me that once during this journey he actually slipped over 



"THE SOLDIER'S LEAP." 473 

the edge of a precipice, but caught with his hands on the rock, and saved 
himself from death. I drew the story from him with considerable diffi- 
culty, and his face was ashy pale as he narrated his experiences in those 
dreadful eighteen days. Since that time no amount of money could tempt 
him to venture over the mountains in the season when the temporales may 
be expected." 

" We halted for the night," continued Frank, "at a hut called Guarda 
Yieja, or ' Old Guard,' where we found scanty herbage for the mules and 
poor shelter for ourselves. The animals were fed with the last ration of 
grain that had been brought for their use. Federico said there was no 
further need to keep it, as the next forenoon would take us to an abun- 
dance of food for man and beast. We supped heartily, and rejoiced to 
think we should sleep the next uight in Santa Rosa, unless prevented by 
accident. 

"Near this place was the scene of one of the battles in the struggle 
which made Chili independent of the mother country. Revolutionists, 
under General San Martin, crossed the mountains from the Argentine 
side, and were exhausted with the fatigue of their long march and priva- 
tions, while the Spaniards were fresh, and had a good position. The bat- 
tle resulted in the defeat of the Spaniards, notwithstanding the advantages 
in their favor. 

" Descending from this point, we found the road in some places a 
mere shelf on the side of the mountain, hanging over a furious torrent that 
rushes along far below. In one place the sides of the chasm are not more 
than fifteen feet apart ; this spot is called ' The Soldier's Leap,' and the 
tradition is that, in the battle I have just mentioned, one of the Span- 
ish soldiers escaped from his enemies by springing from one cliff to the 
other. 

" At one place we crossed a chasm by a suspension bridge that shook 
beneath us at every step. When the wind blows up the valley the bridge 
sways so much that its passage is absolutely dangerous, and the traveller 
must wait till the blast is over. There was just a gentle breeze when we 
arrived, and Federico said it was safe enough to venture across, but we 
must be careful where we placed our feet. 

"It was almost identical with the bridge of the Apurimac, described 
by Mr. Squier in his work on Peru, as it was constructed of the same ma- 
terials, and was about one hundred and fifty feet wide. There were four 
cables — two of twisted withes of a very tough and flexible plant, and two 
of braided rawhide. The latter were smaller than the others, and served 
partly for supports and partly to prevent a passenger from going over the 



474: 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




"Illlwi llli 



/, ;■/■/» '/,///, ■■■, 

"i &¥'/%) 



IK 1 , \ 11 mm 




BRIDGE OF THE APURIMAC. 



CROSSING A ROPE BRIDGE. 



475 




LOOKING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. 



side. The floor is of sticks and canes laid transversely, and also parallel 
with the length of the bridge, so that it looks like a sort of very coarse 
matting. 

"I got down and walked over the bridge, partly through Federico's 
advice, but largely from my own inclination. I was uncertain what the 
mule might take into his head to accomplish during the transit, and did 
not regard it a good place for experiments. But the mules really behaved 
admirably ; nothing could exceed their docility, and the most antiquated 
cart-horse was never more demure than they. A mule knows pretty well 
when and where to indulge in hilarity ; he realizes that a swaying bridge 
a hundred feet above a mountain torrent is not to be used as a quadrupedal 
dancing-hall. 

" Turning a bend of the road beyond this bridge, we saw, far up a 
gorge, a stream that came out of a cavern, like an enormous spring. This 
is the one mentioned by Lieutenant Strain as having its source in the 
'Lago Encantada,' or Enchanted Lake, more than a mile away. It was a 



476 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



mystery for a long time to the Indians, and a puzzle to several scientific 
visitors, what became of the water that flowed into the lake, as it had no 
apparent outlet. There was evidently a complete closing of the gorge 
which formerly drained the lake, by the fall of a vast mass of earth and 
rock, through the action of an earthquake; the water forced a sub- 
terranean passage and the mystery was explained. The Indians regard 
with awe everything they do not understand, and therefore concluded 
that the removal of the water was due to supernatural agencies. 

" We soon entered a cultivated region, where the warm air was a 
pleasant relief to the chilliness of the upper elevations of the mountains. 
The descents were rapid, but no longer perilous, the bridges more substan- 
tial, and the roads wider. Grass and trees abounded ; farms and farm- 
houses dotted the country; signs of population were everywhere evident; 
and the perils of our travels among the snow were things of the past. 
The houses grew into villages, and Anally, just at sunset of the fifth day 
of our journey, we drew up in front of the posada at Santa Rosa and made 
our last descent from the patient and weary mules. 

"Santa Rosa is a long and rather straggling town with about five 
thousand inhabitants ; like most Spanish-American towns, it has a large 
plaza, where the principal business is centred. A noticeable feature of the 
place is the stream of pure water, from the mountains, flowing in nearly 
every street ; it comes from the melting snows of the Andes, and the sup- 
ply is unfailing. The plaza was thronged with people when we arrived, 
and some of them looked curiously at the stranger within the gates. 




^\\wke&\ij^v= 



BY THE ROADSIDE. 



LODGINGS AT SANTA ROSA. 



477 



There was not the least sign of rudeness, but, on the contrary, an air of 
politeness which one does not always find in such an out-of-the-way spot 
as this. 

"The lodgings of the posada were passable and endurable; they were 
excellent by comparison with the casuchas and open air of the mountains, 
but when contrasted with a good hotel, in a civilized land, they did not 
amount to much. Manuel found me a room which had a bed in it, and 




COCRT-YAKD OF THE POSADA. 



also a table and two rickety chairs. The bed was a raw-hide stretched 
across a frame, when green, and then allowed to dry, so that it seemed 
quite as hard as a pine floor, if not harder. On the raw-hide lay a thin 
mattress filled with straw; there was a pair of sheets on the bed, but no 
pillows, and I sent Manuel in search of some. 

"He returned with the announcement that all the pillows in the 
house were engaged, but I could have some the next night if I spoke for 
them at once. As I was to leave in the morning I declined the engage- 



478 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



ment, and used my overcoat and one of my blankets on which to rest my 
head during the ni«;ht. 

" At dinner we said farewell to charqui, as the meal consisted of fresh 
beef stewed with onions and potatoes, with an abundance of Chili Colo- 
rado (red peppers), followed by one of those mysterious compounds 
known as a Spanish omelette. Bread was fresh from the oven, and, 
though dark and tough, it was not to be despised; during and after din- 
ner the mate-pot was produced, and I drank freely of the refreshing bev- 
erage. I slept soundly in spite of dreams of home, Mendoza, the Andes, 
the pampas, the Amazon, Fred and the Doctor, and all sorts of things 
at once. It was a relief to wake and know exactly where I was. 

" Before going to bed I settled with Federico, giving the balance of 
what was due him, and making a small present in addition. The train was 
to leave at eight o'clock ; Manuel called me at six, in time for breakfast, 
and w T ith plenty of leisure to reach the station before the advertised hour. 



... ... -;^rH--'"'--- : 



I I Sol 

-- IPAH.DELCSTCbnhL F 

■ |-l man^mm r,in J 




is3&#* 



A PKDLER OF FORAGE. 



VIEWS IN SANTIAGO. 479 

" Truth compels me to add that I saw little of the country between 
Santa Rosa and Santiago, as I intrusted my ticket to Manuel and slept 
nearly all the way. I have an indistinct recollection of glimpses of fig 
and orange orchards, farm-houses and villages, vineyards and wheat-fields, 
level plains interspersed with rolling or hilly country, and above all the 
towering peaks of the Andes, and the lower summits of the Cordillera. I 
do not wonder that I slept, as I had a good deal of fatigue to make up for. 

" Santiago, the capital of Chili, with its population of two hundred 
and odd thousand, seemed to me like a return to Paris or New York. 
Here is a city with broad and regular streets, lighted with gas, lined with 
spacious sidewalks, and equipped with horse-railways ; with great squares 
ornamented with fountains and statues ; with hospitals, schools, asylums, 
and other public edifices by the dozen and almost by the hundred ; with 
a great cathedral; with handsome bridges over the river that supplies it 
with water; with banks, commercial houses, post and telegraph offices, 
insurance companies and other paraphernalia of trade; with a public 
library of forty thousand volumes and many rare manuscripts ; in a word, 
with all the attributes of a great city. From the railway station I went 
directly to the hotel, and was welcomed with so much politeness by the 
proprietor that I was almost ready to exclaim with Shenstone : 

"Whoe'er has travell'd life's dull round, 
Where'er its stages may have been, 
Must sigh to think he still has found 
The warmest welcome at an inn." 

" The Alameda, or promenade, is beautifully shaded, and a favorite 
resort of the population. Most of the dwellings are low, on account of 
earthquakes, but they are surrounded by spacious court-yards and fur- 
nished with great liberality. The city seems to exist in spite of disadvan- 
tages. It has had numerous earthquakes, many of them disastrous, in the 
period covered by its history, and on several occasions it has suffered 
from inundations. But it has a delightful climate, the thermometer aver- 
aging 68° in summer and 50° in winter, so that it is never very warm nor 
very cold. Heavy and frequent rains fall in winter, and any one who is 
not fond of rain should not come here in that season. 

" Aside from the earthquakes, and also the wars in which Santiago 
has suffered, one of the most tragic days it has ever known was the Sth of 
December, 1863. On that day three thousand people, mostly women, 
were in the church of La Campania ; a cry of fire was raised, and there 
was a rush for the outer air. The doors opened inwardly ; the assemblage 
pressed against them, and no persuasion could induce them to fall back 



480 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




THE ALAMEDA. 



and allow the doors to be swung on their hinges. Panic-stricken, they 
crowded forward ; the fire increased ; suffocating smoke filled the place ; 
and two thirds of that three thousand were burned, trampled, or smothered 
to death. The memory of that terrible day is still fresh in the minds of 
the people, and will be long preserved. • 

"I rode past the church where this calamity occurred, but did not care 
to enter it, as there was nothing interesting in its architecture, and I have 
no feeling of morbid curiosity. I was more interested in the streets 
and the houses, the long rows of tall poplars that lined the streets, and 
the flower : gardens visible at almost every step. The poplar was intro- 
duced from Mendoza; the inhabitants say that along with the poplar came 
the goitre, as not a case of the disease was known until the exotic shade- 
trees were planted and began their growth in their new home. 

"In the middle hours of the day I found the streets almost deserted, 
but they are busy enough in the morning and towards sunset. Daybreak 
brings a crowd of peons from the country with vegetables, fruit, chickens, 
milk, and other edibles for sale ; their shouting is loud and continuous, 
as they cry their wares from house to house or walk up and down the 



SITUATION OF THE CHILIAN CAPITAL. 



481 



market-places. A great quantity of freshly cut alfalfa (a variety of clover) 
is brought from the country and sold for feeding stock. It is piled on the 
back of mule or horse so that the animal is completely covered ;' you 
might easily imagine yourself looking at a haycock which had suddenly 
acquired the power of locomotion. There are droves of pack-mules ; trains 
of carts with their wheels cut from a log, and creaking as if in dire dis- 
tress ; priests in sombre black, and men and women in variegated gar- 
ments, all combining to form an animated picture. As the sun rises above 
the Andes and ascends in the heavens the crowd thins away, and long be- 
fore noon there is an almost painful air of stillness over the whole scene. 
" Santiago lies in a valley between two ranges of the Andes chain, and 
about eighteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. Consequently it 
has both sunrise and sunset over the mountains; the former on the great 
range and the latter over the western Cordillera. There is an interesting 
period of the sunset — beginning when the city first comes under the 
shadow of the western mountains, and ending when the last rays leave the 
snow-capped mountain peaks in the east. The colors of the rainbow are 
perceptible in a sunset under favorable conditions; the tints change with 





•^SUfc^ 



A STREET SCENE. 

31 



482 THE B0Y TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

the shadow, and we have } T ellow, vermilion, violet, green, purple, and other 
hues, in succession and combination, closing with a bright blaze and halo 
from the crests of the mountains. The last light of day comes reflected 
from these mountains in the east, and not from the west, where we are 
accustomed to see it in other cities and in other parts of the globe. Nat- 
ure seems to be reversed in this most southerly capital of the continent. 

" I found the markets not unlike those of Lima. The products of two 
zones are attainable in this Andean situation, though there are fewer 
tropical fruits and vegetables than in the capital of Pern. There are 
strawberries, grapes, figs, peaches, pears, quinces, apples, nectarines, cher- 
ries, apricots, plums, oranges, lemons, citrons, and "chirimoyas— the latter 
far inferior to those of Lima. The fruits mostly in demand and largely 
consumed are water-melons and musk-melons; both are delicious, and grow 
to a great size, and they are as cheap as they are good. 

" But I fear I shall weary you with this description of the cit} 7 , and, 
besides, I must be moving to Valparaiso to meet the steamer bringing 
Dr. Bronson and Fred. The time-table says the voyage occupies twelve 
days ; it is now ten days since I saw them leave Buenos Ay res, and to- 
morrow will be the eleventh day. To-morrow I will go to Valparaiso by 
the railway ; it is a ride of four hours, or perhaps five, if the train is not 
in a hurry, and then I can get everything in readiness to welcome them to 
the soil of Chili." 

Frank went by the train the next morning, and soon after noon he 
arrived at the seaport. He found a bustling, active city, with a popula- 
tion of more than one hundred thousand, of whom less than three fourths 
were native Chilians. According to the statistics Valparaiso contains 
15,000 German inhabitants, 7000 British, 4000 French, 2000 Italians, and 
500 Americans, and a great deal more than half its commerce is in foreign 
hands. 

The city is on a bay which opens towards the north so capaciously that 
it was formerly swept by all winds from between north -northeast and 
west- northwest ; ships anchored with springs on their cables, and were 
ready to put to sea at any moment to avoid the chance of being driven on 
shore. A mole, which was incomplete at the time of Frank's visit, gives more 
security, and when finished will make a fairly good harbor for Valparaiso. 

The name of the city indicates " Vale of Paradise," but Frank was 
unable to see where the appearances justified such a pleasing title. The 
bay is bordered by rugged hills, that, for more than half of the distance 
around the semicircular beach, leave only room enough for a single row 
of houses near the water. The fronts of some of these hills are so steep 



VALPARAISO COMPARED WITH OTHER CITIES. 



4S3 



that you may almost step to them from the back windows of the upper 
stories of the dwellings. 

Facing the other half of the bay is a triangular plain of sand, formed 
by the debris of the streams flowing from the hills, and the washings of 
the surf on the shore. The city is built on this sand, along the narrow 
beach, and up the sides and over the tops of the hills. It forcibly sug- 
gests a struggle for position where nature is in a repellent mood. 

" Valparaiso makes me think of Algiers," wrote Frank in his note-book, 
" but I miss the grand archways of the Boulevard de la Republique and 
the old castle which once sheltered the Dey and held his treasures. I 
think of Beyrout, with the Lebanon range in the background, but the 
Lebanon is dwarfed almost to insignificance by the mighty Andes ; I think 





CUSTOMS GUARD-HOUSE, VALPARAISO. 



of Quebec, but the heights of Abraham and the walls of the old-time 
stronghold of France in America are not faithfully reproduced ; and, finally, 
I remember Gibraltar, nestling at the base of the famous ' Kock.' There 
is a resemblance to all these places, but when we study Valparaiso in detail 
we find many points of difference. 

" Valparaiso has suffered from earthquakes ; twice it has been nearly 
destroyed by them, and there is hardly a week in the year without a shock. 
For this reason the houses are mostly of one or two stories, especially in 
the resident portion, and every inhabitant is ready to flee to the open air 
at a moment's warning. I don't want to become a permanent dweller in 
this city until earthquakes are done away with." 



484 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



The city has theatres and churches, schools and hospitals, a custom- 
house and a government palace, great warehouses for the reception and 
storage of goods, street railways, gas, steam fire-engines, fine shops, poor 
hotels, and a fairly good police system. It has a large and increasing 
commerce, and is destined to grow in wealth and grandeur as time goes 
on, unless the earthquakes make an end of it — a contingency not pleasant 
to contemplate. It was bombarded by the Spanish fleet in 1866, and, 
though few lives were lost, there was an immense destruction of property, 
of which nine tenths belonged to foreign merchants. 




SPANISH-AMERICAN COSTUMES. 



About three o'clock on the afternoon of the day following Frank's 
arrival the flag on the custom-house signalled the approach of the English 
steamer. Our young traveller, accompanied by Manuel, engaged a boat, 
and as the great ship came to her anchorage he was rowed alongside, and 
exchanged greetings with his old companions and friends. 

We will now make a flying leap over the Andes, and accompany Dr. 
Bronson and his nephew in their voyage from Buenos Ayres through the 
Strait of Magellan. 



THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 485 



CHAPTER XXIX. 

STRAIT OF MAGELLAN.— FALKLAND ISLANDS.— A PENGUIN CITY.— SANDY POINT. 
—HUNTING THE OSTRICH AND GUANACO.— PATAGONIAN GIANTS. 

r I ^HE voyage southward from Buenos Ayres was uneventful, as the 
-*- ocean was calm and the steamer kept well out to sea. There was an 
agreeable change in the temperature; it became delightfully cool on the 
day following their departure, and continued so until the coast of Pata- 
gonia was sighted, near the entrance of the Strait of Magellan. 

Fred was disappointed with his first view of Patagonia. He knew it 
was a desolate region, but was hardly prepared for the total absence of all 
vegetation on the shore which he scanned through his glass. It was the 
shore of the Red Sea without its warmth of sunshine, and the rosy tints 
for which its name was given. Coming from the rich verdure of the 
Amazon and the Rio de La Plata, he found the gray, barren landscape of 
Patagonia doubly forbidding, and his desire for a journey through the 
country was by no means great. 

The entrance to the Strait of Magellan is about twenty-two miles wide ; 
the northerly, or, rather, the northeasterly, point around which the steamer 
took its course is called Cape Yirgens, and the southeastern Cape Espiritu 
Santo. Almost due east, and about three hundred miles distant, are the 
Falkland Islands, which belong to Great Britain, and are of more political 
than practical value. There is excellent pasturage on the islands, and con- 
siderable numbers of cattle and sheep are raised there, but the climate is 
not favorable to agriculture. 

Fred wanted to visit the Falklands, not so much to examine the country 
as to see the seals and penguins, which are killed there in great numbers. 
As he was unable to make the journey, he contented himself with a descrip- 
tion given by a fellow-passenger. 

"The penguin is a funny-looking bird," said the gentleman, "and his 
breeding-place is as funny as he is. In the first place, he can't fly ; he has 
two wings, like any other bird, but they are very short, and only useful for 
helping him over the ground when on laud, and for paddling him about 



486 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




SEAL OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. 



in the water. He doesn't use his wings much, though, in the water, as his 
broad feet are webbed like a duck's, and propel him very rapidly. 

"When I first came to this part of the world I was on a schooner in 
search of penguin oil. We went to one of the rocky islands where the 
birds make their home, and found a city of probably a hundred thousand 
penguins." 

"A hundred thousand in one city!" exclaimed Fred, in astonishment. 

"Yes, a hundred thousand at least," was the reply, "and I've seen a 
penguin city five times as large as that. There was a space of fifty or sixty 
acres covered with birds about as thick as they could sit together; it was 
laid off into squares by streets running at right angles, and a surveyor 
couldn't have made the lines straighter than they were. 

" And not only do they lay the ground out into squares, but they level 
it off and pick up all the stones and shells lying around, so that it is as 
smooth as a lawn. Then the birds go in pairs, and each pair picks out a 
place for a nest; it isn't a nest at all, but simply a spot on the ground. 
The hen lays one egg, and only one; the male bird brings her food from 
the sea, or if she wishes occasionally to have a swim he sits on the egg 
during her absence. He takes such good care of her that she is always 
plump and fat, and for this reason the penguins are sought and killed dur- 
ing their breeding season. 




PATAGONIA AND TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



488 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




THE PENGUIN. 



" They walk up and down the streets 
like soldiers, standing erect all the time, 
and waddling along on their feet. The 
fun of the thing is that they divide 
themselves off into classes, according to 
their plumage and also according to the 
stages of their incubation ; one class 
never disturbs another, but whether 
they keep order without the aid of a 
policeman or not I am unable to say." 

Fred asked how large the ordinary 
penguin is. 

" There are several varieties of these 
birds," said his informant, " the largest 
being the Emperor Penguin, which 
weighs twenty-five or thirty pounds, 
and I have known them to tip the 
scale at very nearly forty. The old 
birds are so touo-h and fishy that a do£ 
won't touch them, but the chickens are good eating. I have tried the 
eggs, but didn't like 'em, as they resembled a hen's egg cooked in lamp- 
oil. Penguins only go on shore during the breeding season ; for the rest 
of the time they live in the water, and some varieties of them are frequently 
found on or near cakes of ice two or three hundred miles from land." 

While this strange bird of the southern hemisphere was under discus- 
sion the steamer passed between the two capes we have mentioned, and 
entered Possession Bay ; then she passed through the First Narrows, where 
the cliffs are not more than two miles apart. On the right was Patagonia ; 
on the left lay the island of 1 Tierra del Fuego, 'Land of Fire,' presenting 
an aspect quite as forbidding as that of the mainland of the continent. 
Desolation everywhere, and a leaden sky that threatened wind and rain. 

From the First Narrows, which are about nine miles long, they opened 
out into a broader stretch of water known as Philip's Bay, and then came 
to the Second Narrows and to Elisabeth Island. Wild birds were numer- 
ous, and in some places the shores were covered with them ; in the nar- 
rows the water all around the steamer was alive with gulls, and a dozen 
other varieties of sea-fowl. Among them Fred recognized the shag, coot, 
and cormorant. The gentleman who had told him about the penguins 
pointed out a settlement of those birds on the shore, but too far away to 
enable them to see much of it. 



DIFFICULTIES OF NAVIGATION. 



489 




THE HOME OF THE SEA-BIRDS. 



From the Second Narrows the course of the steamer swept to the 
southward until she passed Cape Froward, the most southerly point of 
the continent; at Cape Froward there is a sudden bend to the northward, 
and this course is continued to the outlet of the strait into the Pacific 
Ocean, at Cape Pillars, three hundred 
and fifteen miles from Cape Yirgens. 

The navigation of the strait is easy 
enough for a steamer, but very difficult 
for a sailing-ship. The water is deep, 
and there is no danger of being left on 
sand-bars, but the tides make strong cur- 
rents in various parts of the strait ; sev- 
eral of the passages are tortuous, and 
require a quick change of helm even 
for a steamer ; and the openings be- 
tween the cliffs are liable to gusts of 
wind that make it dangerous for a ves- 
sel relying on her sails alone. The nar- 
rowest place is about one mile across, 




THE CORMORANT. 



490 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IX SOUTH AMERICA. 



and is in " Crooked Keach." This point is the great terror of sailing cap- 
tains, as a strong wind generally blows there, and changes its direction at 
frequent intervals. 

"This strait bears the name of its discoverer," wrote Fred in his note- 
book, "or, at any rate, it is near enough to identify him. On the 21st of 
October, 1520, Fernando Magalhaens, a Portuguese navigator, entered the 
strait from the Atlantic, and on the 28th of November of the same year 
he emerged into the broad and peaceful ocean which he named 'Pacifico.' 
Thus the Strait of Magellan and the Pacific Ocean were first navigated 
by one and the same individual. He may also be called the first circum- 
navigator of the globe. He sailed over the Pacific Ocean to the Philip- 
pine Islands, where he was killed in a fight with the natives; on a pre- 




A STEAMER ENTERING THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 



vious voyage he had been eastward to the longitude of the Philippines, 
and thus had been completely around the world, though not in a continu- 
ous journey." 

A hundred miles from the Atlantic Ocean the steamer came in sight 
of Punta Arenas, or Sandy Point; it is best known to English-speaking 
people by the latter name, which is a translation of the former. The 
steamer was to remain here several hours, and our friends embraced the 
opportunity to go on shore. 

Sandy Point was originally a convict settlement of the government of 
Chili, and was officially called " La Colonia de Magellanes." It was 
founded in 1851, and for some years contained only the convicts and 
the garrison that watched over them ; when steamers began to navigate 
the strait the government, seeing that the place was destined to be of 



ON SHORE IN PATAGONIA. 



491 



commercial importance, determined to establish a free colony there. 
Grants of land were given to German and Swiss settlers; several hun- 
dreds were brought there from the Old World ; but the character of the 
country is unfavorable, and the colony has never prospered. 

From Cape Froward to and beyond the neighborhood of Sandy Point 
there are forests of beeches and other foliferous trees, and the hills 
and level ground back of them are covered with grass. Agriculture is 
limited, and the colonists who went to the Strait of Magellan to make 
homes and become rich have been sorely disappointed. 

The steamer anchored in front of the little town, and hardly had her 
anchor touched the bottom of the bay when a steam tender came along- 
side, bringing the captain of the port and the agent of the steamship com- 
pany. Dr. Bronson and his nephew were invited to go ashore in the ten- 
der; they had made a bargain with a boatman, but, as the waves were 
dancing merrily in consequence of the brisk wind blowing down the 
strait, they accepted the invitation, and paid the owner of the boat for 
doing nothing. In a quarter of an hour they were landed at a little 
wooden pier, and had leisure to study the most southerly town of the 
western world. 

" It didn't take us long to see the whole of Sandy Point," said Fred, 
in the account of their visit, "as the sights of the place can be exhausted 
in a very little while. There is a beach in front of a high ridge of hills, 
and some rising ground intervening between beach and hills. The town 
straggles along this beach, and back on the rising ground behind it;, it 
consists of a fort, a church, some government barracks, a custom-house, 
and one or two other public buildings, together with a lot of one-story 








CHILIAN SETTLEMENT AT SANDY POINT. 



492 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



houses disposed in lines to form streets. It has a population of eight or 
nine hundred — possibly a thousand — and presents a woe-begone appear- 
ance, like that of a half-deserted village. 

" There were Germans, Swiss, French, and Italians among the people 
we met in the streets; the rest were Chilians and Patagonians, together 
with some Fuegians who had paddled over the strait from their native 
shores. The Europeans were much like the same people elsewhere, and 
we paid no particular attention to them ; we were more interested in the 
Patagonians and Fuegians, and I prevailed upon some of them to stand 
to be sketched under promise of half a dollar each for their trouble. 
Their countenances are not prepossessing, and by no stretch of the imagi- 
nation could they be called hand- 
some. In fact, I consider them about 
the ugliest people I ever saw. 

" The Patagonian dress is a pon- 
cho or mantle of guanaco skins, 
which hangs from the shoulders and 
has a hole in the centre for the 
head ; sometimes it is gathered at 
the waist by a belt, especially when 
the wearer is on horseback, and in 
cold weather those who can afford it 
have a smaller garment of nearly the 
same sort underneath a larger one. 
The men pluck out their beards 
when they have any, and as the 
dress is the same for both sexes it 
is next to impossible for a stranger 
to distinguish men from women in 
a group of natives. I made a sketch 
of a girl who was said to be about 
twenty years old ; she was considered a belle, but I do not believe any 
belle of ~New York would be jealous of her good looks. 

"This Antipodean Langtry wore a guanaco robe which was by no 
means new; her black hair was greasy and unkempt at the sides, but 
cut rather short on the top of the head; her nose was broad and flat; 
and her mouth extended almost from side to side of her face. Her eyes 
were black and piercing, and her self-satisfied smile as she stood for 
her picture told that she knew how handsome she was. 

"I hear some one asking about the height of the Patagonians, and 




PATAGONIAN DRESS. 



PECULIARITIES OF THE PATAGONIANS. 



493 




A PATAGONIAN BELLE. 



if they are really the giants they 
were represented in the school-books 
of forty years ago. They are not 
giants in the ordinary acceptation of 
the term, but are certainly above the 
ordinary height. The governor of 
Sandy Point personally measured 
the height of a great many Pata- 
gonian men, and his experiments 
covered several years of his resi- 
dence there. He reports the aver- 
age height as between five feet 
eleven inches and six feet. 

"Mr. Beerbohm, the author of 
' Wanderings in Patagonia,' says 
the Indians he travelled with pos- 
sess extraordinary strength, and he 
tells the following story as an illus- 
tration of what they can do: 

'"An Indian was leading a horse towards the camp by a lasso, when 
the animal for some reason or other stopped suddenly short, and obstinate- 
ly refused to stir from the spot. After a few coaxing but ineffectual 
tugs at the lasso, the Indian gave a short grunt of impatience, and then' 
taking the lasso over his shoulder, bent forward, seemingly without effort, 
and dragged the horse by main force about twenty yards, notwithstanding 
its determined attempts at resistance.' 

"From the same writer and from other sources," continued Fred, "I 
learned a good deal about the country and the people of Patagonia, which 
consoled me for my inability to make a journey through it, and indulge 
in hunting the ostrich and the guanaco. Formerly hunting was possible 
within a few hours' ride of Sandy Point, but at present the game has been 
killed off or driven to the north, and those who would have sport cannot 
find it nearer than fifty or sixty miles away. This is too far to go when 
we wish to continue on our journey with a steamer that remains only 
a few hours in port. 

"Patagonia is a desolate region, comprising an area of about three 
hundred and fifty thousand square miles ; its northern boundary is the 
Pio Negro, and there have been disputes between Chili and the Argen- 
tine Republic concerning the right to the country. It has been finally 
agreed that Chili may have the west coast and the country along the 



494 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



strait, while the republic may possess the region bordering on the 
Atlantic. Several colonies have been made in Patagonia by the two 
claimants, but none of them have succeeded. 

"The population is very small, considering the area; some authorities 
place it as low as three thousand, and none higher than ten thousand ; 
the latter figure is probably excessive. The plains are covered with a 
few shrubs and scanty grass, or with nothing at all, and the valleys are 
the only places where cattle and horses can find sufficient grazing to keep 
them alive. Some of the northern tribes have herds of cattle and sheep, 
mostly stolen from the Argentine Republic, but the southern natives have 
no cattle and but few horses. Notwithstanding their desolate charac- 
ter, the plains support countless numbers of ostriches and guanacos; the 



ISl 



^pr^ap^^^ fptliiil 







THE GUANACO. 



feathers of the former and the skins of the latter are articles of com- 
merce, and their flesh serves as food. When the Indians are unsuccessful 
in hunting these animals they live upon horse-flesh, and many of them 
prefer it to any other article of food. 

"We met at Sandy Point a guacho from the Argentine Republic 
who had spent several years in Patagonia, and made a living by hunting. 
He had a troop of dogs which he used in the chase of the ostriches 
and guanaco, and he told us that it was his plan to start out with two 
or three Indian attendants, and be absent for weeks at a time. When he 
saw an ostrich he sent his dogs after it, and followed close behind on 
horseback; with dogs and bolas he rarely failed to bring down his game, 
and the same was the case with the guanaco. He had from six to a 
dozen horses ; when one was wearied he quickly changed the saddle 



OSTRICH AND GUANACO. 



495 



to another. When he had gathered a sufficient quantity of ostrich 
feathers and gnanaeo skins to pay for the journey, he came to Sandy 
Point, and he had arrived there only the day before we met him. 

"He told us that his greatest anno} 7 ances came from the wild horses 
and the Indians. His own horses had been attacked by the wild ones on 
several occasions, and he once lost all except those that lie and his at- 
tendants were riding at the time. He said the wild brutes display a 
great deal of intelligence in attacking a herd of tame ones; they form 
a circle about the latter, and attempt to drive them away, and if they 
are very numerous there is great danger of their success. He said the 
best way to defeat them was to single out the leader of the attacking 
force, and pay no attention to the rest. If you can kill the leader the 
rest can be driven off without much trouble, but as long as the head 
of the herd is unharmed there is no safety. 

"The Indians are usually peaceable, but they had a habit of coming to 
his camp, and literally eating him out. They stayed as long as there was 
anything to eat, and had no modesty about asking for what they wanted. 
He always endeavored to keep as far from them as he could, partly 
because they 'ate him out of house and home,' and partly because game 
was always scarce and shy when they were about. 

" In addition to ostriches and guanacos, there are plenty of armadillos, 
pumas, foxes, and skunks. Our guacho generally killed pumas when 
they came in his way, but did not go around in search of them. He said 
the flesh was good eating, and tasted like veal, but it varied somewhat in 
quality, according to the age and condition of the animal. The puma lives 
on the ostrich and guanaco; he is very powerful, and can kill a guanaco 
with a single blow of his huge paw. He is as cowardly as he is strong, 
and when attacked by a hunter he rarely resists unless slightly wounded 
and 'cornered.' The guacho said he had frequently ridden close up to 
a crouching puma and killed him with a 
blow from a bolas, or a shot from a revolver. 

"I asked about the ostrich, and he said 
there were two kinds in Patagonia, that of 
the north being larger and darker than the 
one inhabiting the south. While he was 
talking I turned to Mr. Beerbohm's book 



and found the following: 

" ' The ostrich of southern Patagonia 
{Rhea Darwinii) is smaller than the "Aves- 
truz Moro " {Rhea Americana), as the species seeking safety. 




496 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 




which frequents the country near the River Negro is called by the na- 
tives. The color of its plumage is brown, the feathers being tipped with 
white, whereas the moro, as its name indicates, is uniformly gray. The 
li. Darwinii are extremely shy birds, and as their vision is remarkably 
acute, it is by no means an easy matter to catch them unless one has 
very swift dogs to hunt with.' 

" The guacho said the ostrich of America has the same peculiarities 
that he is credited with in Africa. He doubles on his pursuer, and 
sometimes he will drop flat on the ground, and endeavor to escape by 
lying perfectly motionless until the dogs have passed. In some condi- 
tions of the wind this trick succeeds, but if it is blowing the scent towards 
the dogs they find the unhappy bird and make short work of him. 



A DINNER OF OSTRICH. 



49 T 



" The ostrich makes his nest by scooping a hole in the ground under 
the shadow of a bush, and lining it with a few wisps of dry grass to make 
it soft for the chickens. There are from ten to forty eggs in a nest ; 
they are laid by several hens and not by one, as with most other birds, 
and it is a curious fact that the male bird sits on the nest, hatches the 
eggs, and looks after the young. If the weather is fine he sometimes 
grazes an hour or two in the evening in the vicinity of the nest, but he 
never goes far away ; when it rains he never leaves the nest, and lie has 
been known to stay there six or seven days without feeding. 

"After the hatching season the 
ostriches lay their eggs all over the 
plains without any regard to hatch- 
ing them. These eggs are a prize 
for the hunters; many a meal has 
been made of them, and, as our 
guacho said, many a life had been 
saved by this habit of the great 
bird. They keep perfectly fresh for 
months ; one ostrich egg contains 
as much as ten hen's eggs, so that it 
makes a good dinner for one per- 
son. This is the way to cook it : 

" Break a small hole in the 
top of the egg and remove some 
of the white. Beat the rest of the 
contents up together, and when 
you have done this thoroughly, 
set the egg on its end in the ashes, 
a little way from the fire, so that it 

will roast. Stir the contents frequently to prevent burning, and turn the egg 
occasionally to keep the shell from cracking. Fifteen minutes will cook it 
thoroughly ; add pepper and salt, if you have any, and your dinner is ready. 

" I will close this bird talk by quoting a bill of fare given by Mr. 
Beerbohm, of a dinner on the plains : 

Sorip. — Rice and Ostrich. 
Broiled Ostrich Wings. 

Ostrich Steak. 

Roast Ostrich Gizzard. 

Ostrich Eggs. 

Custard. — Ostrich Eggs and Sugar. 

More Ostrich, if wanted." 

32 




skeleton of the ostrich. 



498 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

MUTINY AT SANDY POINT. — TIERRA DEL FUEGO. — MISSIONARY ENTERPRISES 
THERE. — CAPTAIN GARDINER. — CRUISE OF THE " WATEREE." — SIDE- WHEEL 
DUCKS.— UP THE PACIFIC COAST.— THE MEETING AT VALPARAISO.— THE END. 

SANDY POINT has not been without its tragedy, in spite of its youth 
as a colony. In November, 1877, the convicts and soldiers mutinied, 
and for two days the place was a scene of bloodshed and robbery. 
About sixty of the officers, soldiers, and colonists were killed and many 
others were wounded ; the arrival of a Chilian gunboat, on the third day, 
put an end to the revolt and restored order. The mutineers fled to the 
pampas, where many of them died of starvation and exposure, and the 
remnant of the band was captured near the mouth of the Santa Cruz 
River. Many of the buildings in the town were burned, and the destruc- 
tion of property was estimated at half a million dollars. 

Dr. Bronson inquired for Captain 
Smiley, an American who was once 
famous in this part of the world ; he 
learned that the captain died some 
years before, but not until he had 
reached very nearly the hundredth 
year of his age. An officer of the 
United States steamer Wateree de- 
scribed the captain as known to every- 
body from Uruguay round to Chili, 
and says he rendered numerous and 
invaluable services to vessels ship- 
wrecked anywhere within a thousand 
miles of the strait. One sea-captain 
who was wrecked on the eastern coast 
of Patagonia declared that Smiley 
scented the disaster six hundred miles 
captain smiley. away, and came to his assistance. He 




PEOPLE OF TIERRA DEL FUEGO. 



499 




MOUNTAINS AND GLACIERS IN MAGELLAN'S STRAIT. 



once rounded Cape Horn alone in a fifty-ton schooner, and his life was 
full of extraordinary experiences in the southern hemisphere. 

As the Doctor and his nephew returned to the steamer they met a 
boat-load of Fuegians on their way to Sandy Point, from the other side of 
the strait. Fred had considered the Patagonians very low in the scale of 
humanity, but on seeing the Fuegians he was inclined to rank the Pata- 
gonians among the creme de la creme. Though the weather was cold, they 
were not more than half clad, and the few garments among them were the 
merest apologies for clothing. The boat was a frame of wood covered 
with seal-skins sewn together, and was far more attractive to the eye of 
the stranger than were its occupants. 

The inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego are of the same race as the Pata- 
gonians, but smaller; they live near the sea-coast, as the most of their 
food is obtained from the water in the shape of shell or other fish, seals, 
aquatic birds, and a certain edible weed that is thrown up by the waves. 
They are reputed to be cannibals, and the crews of ships wrecked on their 
coast have been killed and eaten by these savages. They do not confine 
their cannibalism to shipwrecked mariners, if all stories are true; Cap- 
tain Smiley said he once visited a Fuegian chief, with whom he was on 
friendly terms, and found him superintending the cooking of one of his 
wives ! 

Missionaries have labored among the Fuegians, but to very little good 
result. The first effort was made after the return of Admiral Fitzroy's 



500 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



expedition, which is described in Darwin's " Voyage of the Beagle." 
Four Fuegians were taken to England, where one of them died, and the 
others remained for three years and were educated. One of these natives 
was named "Jemmy Button," in consequence of his having been bought 
from his parents for a button cut from an-officer's coat ; he was intelligent, 
and gave promise of future usefulness, and it was thought a good plan to 
send him to his native land accompanied by a missionary. 

Jemmy received many presents from kind-hearted people before start- 
ing for his old home, and when he arrived there he was cordially wel- 
comed. The ship's carpenter built a house for the missionary and Jemmy ; 
a garden was made and seeds were sown; the natives who flocked around 
the ship w T ere well treated; and everything seemed to promise favorably. 

Hardly was the ship out of sight before the natives robbed Jemmy of 
all his treasures, and reduced him to his original condition of a savage. 
All his fine clothes were destroyed, and he was compelled to dress — or, 
rather, to undress — like his own people; it is probable that the missionary 
would have been killed had not the ship looked in again after a week's 
absence, to see how things were getting along. 

The next visitors to Tierra del Fuego found that the effect of civiliza- 
tion on Jemmy had not improved his morals. Captain Snow, who com- 
manded a ship which touched at several places on the island, says Jemmy's 
tribe was the worst he saw, and had to be constantly watched to prevent 
thefts. They stole everything they could lay their hands on, and a few 




JEMMY BUTTON S SOUND. 



AN ENTERPRISING MISSIONARY. 



501 



years later they massacred the crew of a ship that was sent there by the 
London Missionary Society, the very ship that Captain Snow formerly 
commanded. 

Most of the missionary work in Tierra del Fuego was through the ef- 
forts of Captain Allen Gardiner, formerly of the British navy. Captain 
Snow says ''Gardiner was a brave and upright man, zealously religious, 




FUKGIANS VISITING A WAR STEAMEK. 



but wanting in wisdom and prudence. He deemed himself called upon to 
go about the world and bring a few of the heathen from darkness to light. 
Four times did he belt the earth, visiting the Zulus in South Africa, the 
islanders of the Pacific, the inhabitants of interior South America, and 
numerous other places. Twice he was in Patagonia and twice in Tierra 
del Fuego; the last time he went there was in a passing ship, taking 
two boats, a surgeon, a lay teacher, a carpenter, and four fishermen from 
Cornwall, with six months' provisions." 

Captain Gardiner's first effort in Tierra del Fnego was at Banner 
Cove, Picton Island, where he tried to establish a station. The natives 
plundered him of everything, and he left in order to save his life; he re- 



502 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 



turned to England, where lie lectured, and obtained sufficient money to 
make another trial of the inhospitable land, under the circumstances nar- 
rated in the preceding paragraph. 

Here is what he writes concerning his arrival at Banner Cove : 

" On Friday, the 6th of December, 1850, we erected our tents, and on 
the 7th we constructed a strong fence of trees around our position, leav- 
ing only one small opening. This night and the next day the number of 
natives increased. Their rudeness and pertinacious endeavor to force a 
way into our tents, and to purloin our things, became so systematic and 
resolute that it was not possible to retain our position without resorting 
to force, from which, of course, we refrained." 

The natives became so hostile that Captain Gardiner and his party 
abandoned the place, and attempted to go along the coast to a more 
favorable spot. Three of their boats were lost in this journey, together 
with a considerable part of their stores, and they were in great distress. 
One by one the members of the party died of hunger and exposure, 
some of them at Banner Cove, and others at a point which has since been 
known as Starvation Beach. 

A few years later a ship was built in England for missionary work in 
Tierra del Fuego, and named the Allen Gardiner, in honor of the lamented 
missionary. This was the ship which the natives plundered, after murder- 
ing her crew ; she was recovered by Captain Smiley and taken to the 
Falkland Islands for repairs, and afterwards made several voyages to the 




THE "ALLEN GARDINER " IN BANNER COVE 



A FORBIDDING LAND. 



503 



" Land of Fire," but without advancing the condition of the natives to 
any noticeable extent. 

The Fuegian is about as inhospitable as his country and climate can 
well make him. The region is subject to heavy rains and severe cold ; 
the snow-line on the mountains is only four thousand feet above the sea, 




STAUVATION BEACH. 



and Mr. Darwin says it is difficult to find an acre of level ground in the 
whole country. The lowland is covered with peat swamps and forests of 
beeches, and some of the scenery is quite pretty, but the general aspect is 
forbidding and desolate. There are glaciers along the sides of the moun- 
tains, and there are fresh-water lakes in the interior, frequented by great 
flocks of ducks and other aquatic birds. Along the coast are islands 
which are the resort of fur seals, and occasionally a rich haul is made by 
enterprising sealers. 

The natives live in conical huts or wigwams built from the branches 
of trees over holes dug in the ground. In addition to shell-fish and other 
sea products, they live on a fungus that grows on the beech-trees. A pict- 
ure of a Fuegian and his food is given on the next page. The reader will 



504 



THE BOY TRAVELLERS LY SOUTH AMERICA. 




A FUEGIAN AND HIS FOOD. 



observe the fungus growing in a cluster a few feet above the base of the 
tree and just where the limbs diverge. It is an article of food not adapted 
to the European palate, but the natives seem to be fond of it- — perhaps 
because they are obliged to be. 

"Why was the country named Tierra del Fnego?" Fred inquired, as 
he watched the coast of that forbidding region while the ship was steam- 
ing away from Sandy Point. 

" It was so named by Magellan," replied the Doctor, " in consequence 
of the numerous fires he saw along the coast." 

"But we have seen no fires there," said the youth ; " and I wonder if 
there were more inhabitants then than now." 

" I cannot say as to that," Dr. Bronson answered. "No census has ever 



A FUEGIAN'S IDEA OF HAPPINESS. 



505 



been taken in Tierra del Fuego, and from present appearances none is 
likely to be. Nobody wants the country, as it is absolutely worthless for 
all practical purposes. It would be a dear purchase at ten cents a square 
mile. 

" Captain Snow and others who have visited the country estimate the 
inhabitants at not more than two thousand. They are the lowest in the 
scale of barbarism of all the people of the world ; they live in small tribes, 
and among them might makes right. If one native gets more property 
than another he is quickly relieved of his superfluous possessions and re- 
duced to the common level. You have a good illustration of this state of 
things in the case of Jemmy Button. His friends in England had loaded 
him with presents previous to his return, but he was not allowed to keep 
them twenty-four hours after the ship which brought him had departed. 
The same treatment is visited upon the missionaries, and upon every one 
else who falls into their power. They have no Yanderbilts among them, 
and possess no ideas concerning the foundations of fortunes and families. 

"Mr. Darwin says their greatest idea of happiness is to have the car- 
cass of a whale drift upon the coast where they can secure it. They 
remove the blubber in large pieces; then they cut holes in the centre of 
these pieces and thrust their heads through them, as a guacho puts on his 




A FCEGIAN FEAST. 



506 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

poncho, in order to carry the stuff away ; men, women, and children join 
in the labor of securing this supply of food, and they have an abundance 
to eat as long as it lasts. Unlike the natives of the Aleutian Islands, they 
have no means of catching whales, as their inventive genius has not been 
equal to devising anything useful." 

Three hours after leaving Sandy Point the steamer passed Port Famine, 
which owes its name to a melancholy incident in its history. In 1584 a 
Spanish colony was founded there by Sarmiento; out of three hundred 
men who formed the colony all but two died of starvation within four 
years. In the early part of this century the Chilian .government made a 
convict settlement there ; the convicts revolted, killed their guards, and 
then seized a trading schooner and sailed away, after killing its crew. 










RUINS AT PORT FAMINE. 



They were afterwards captured and properly punished by. the government 
authorities. 

One of the officers of the steamer called Fred's attention to a " side- 
wmeel " duck, whose performance in the water resembled that of the 
steamer from which it takes its name. This bird is said to be found only 
in Patagonia ; it does not use its wings for flying nor its feet for paddling, 
but when pursued it rushes through the water with great speed by means 
of its wings. The officer said he had never seen one of these ducks at- 
tempt to fly; an examination of its wings showed a cartilaginous projec- 
tion at the elbow, but when in motion its movements were so rapid that 
the mode of propulsion could not be distinctly defined. The feet could be 
seen trailing behind ; and there was a sort of mist at the side of the bird, 
while the wake in his rear was exactly like that left by a paddle steamer. 



HARBORS IN THE STRAIT. 



507 




BORGIA BAY. 



Mountain peaks were visible on both sides of the strait. In many 
places the cliffs were almost perpendicular, and hundreds of feet in height. 
There were many little harbors opening out from the strait, but Fred was 
informed, by the officer who had called his attention to the ducks, that 
many of the harbors were useless, as the water was too deep to permit ships 
to anchor. But where anchorage is possible the shelter is perfect, the sur- 
rounding mountains completely shutting out the winds. The geologists 




INSCRIPTIONS AT BORGIA BAT. 



508 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

say these harbors are probably the craters of volcanoes that were extin- 
guished ages and ages ago. 

They passed near Port Gallant, Borgia Bay, and other harbors which 
are marked on the chart, but without making a pause at any of them. 
Before the days of regular steam navigation it was the custom for those 
passing through the strait to leave the names of their ships, with short 
records of their cruises, at the different anchorages. A favorite place for 
thus informing those who followed them was at Borgia Bay, where some- 
times dozens of boards could be seen fastened to the trees. The historian 
of the cruise of the Wateree says that one captain recorded his vessel as a 
" whaling skuner." 

The Wateree explored many of the channels between the mainland and 
the islands along the west coast of Patagonia, and continued that work up 
to the Bay of Castro, where she was the first steam-vessel of war ever seen. 
One of the bays along this route bears her name, and is distinguished by 
a curious mark on a cliff in the form of the letter " IT." 

During her explorations the Wateree ran short of coal and was obliged 
to take wood from the forests along the shore. This was tedious and dis- 
couraging work, especially as the wood was either green or water-soaked, 



4dp- - 




" H " CLIFF, WATEREE BAY. 



COAL IX CHILI. 



509 



and required a great deal of coaxing 
to make it burn. Imagine the sur- 
prise and delight of the officers when 
they were visited at a little Chilian 
village by an enterprising Yankee, 
who said he had a hundred cords of 
perfectly seasoned wood a few miles 
away, which he would sell at a low 
price. They went there at once and 
bought his wood, which helped them 
to the next port, where coal could be 
obtained. 

There is an abundance of bitu- 
minous coal along the western coast 
of Chili, and as far down as the strait. 
There are veins of coal at Port Fam- 
ine, and others near Sandy Point, 
but the quality is poor. The best 
of the Chilian coal-mines are at Lota, 
where many thousands of tons are 

mined every month. The Chilian coal is sold in all the ports of the west 
coast of South America as far north as Panama ; the veins are large, the 
mines are easily operated, and the supply may be considered inexhaustible. 

Passing from the Strait of Magellan to the Pacific Ocean, the steamer 
headed northward towards her destination at Valparaiso. Fred had occa- 
sional glimpses of the coasts of Patagonia and Chili, but for the greater 




THE YANKEE WOOD-DEALER. 





-'■■ 

4 A 



4>? 



\ >h ? 



u 






NEAR THE COAST OF TATAGONIA. 



510 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN SOUTH AMERICA. 

part of the way they were generally out of sight of land. In some seasons 
of the year the steamers follow the sheltered route among the islands — it 
affords inland navigation for nearly three hundred miles — but when fogs 
prevail the captains consider it safer to take the open ocean. 

The lofty peaks of the Andes were almost continuously visible on the 
eastern horizon, after the steamer passed the latitude of the volcano of Cor- 
covado. Towards the strait the mountains are less elevated than farther 
to the north, few of the peaks of the last hundred miles of the chain 
reaching above ten thousand feet in height. Aconcagua, the highest 
mountain of the Andean range, was in full view on the last day of the 
voyage, and formed a magnificent landmark, which directed the mariners 
to their destination in the harbor of Valparaiso. 

As the steamer came to anchor, Fred peered anxiously over the rail at 
the many boats that were dancing on the waves. From one to another he 
turned his gaze, and was about giving up the search for a familiar face 
when he saw a handkerchief waving in the stern of one of the approaching 
craft. 

Another glance, and then another, and the youthful face was radiant 
with smiles. Out came Fred's handkerchief to wave a response to Frank, 
who had come to meet him. As soon as the latter was permitted to board 
the steamer he sprang up the gangway, and the three friends were once 
more together. 



The End. 



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Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

Any of the foregoing works sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United Slates 
or Canada, on receipt of the price. 



